Characteristics of Drivers with Dementia Referred for a Fitness to Drive Evaluation in Missouri

This research investigated 4,099 drivers reported to the State of Missouri driver’s licensing authority in the years 2001-2005 as possibly suffering from a dementing illness and requiring a fitness-to-drive evaluation. The research identifies that symptoms possibly linked to a dementing illness, such as confusion, memory loss, getting lost while driving, were frequent primary concerns of reporters. About 40% of those reported had either Alzheimer’s, cognitive impairment, or other brain insult noted in their reports. Of those reported by family members, more than 50% of them do not continue the assessment process and do not submit a physician’s evaluation and thereby forfeit their driver’s license. Of those that do return a physician’s evaluation, in most cases the physician agrees with the family reported diagnosis of a dementing illness, especially for Alzheimer’s where the agreement is 100%, but least for cognitive impairment where the agreement is 75%. Of those reported with a dementing illness, most are not required to complete a driver’s license examination and most lose their licenses based on the physician evaluation alone, although those reported by physicians are slightly more likely to be required to take such tests. Of those with a dementing illness, about 98% lose their driver’s license due to the report. Interestingly, crash history is generally less frequently a motivator for reports of those with a dementing illness than for those reported without cognitive impairment concerns.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ANB60 Safe Mobility of Older Persons.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Unger, Elizabeth A
  • Ulfarsson, Gudmundur F
  • Meuser, Thomas M
  • Carr, David B
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 92nd Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2013-1-13 to 2013-1-17
• Date: 2013

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 16p
• Monograph Title: TRB 92nd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aged drivers; Alzheimer's disease; Confiscation; Dementia; Driver licenses; Driving cessation; Fitness to drive; Medical examinations and tests
• Geographic Terms: Missouri
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01475270
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 13-1690
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 14 2013 9:36AM