Medical Review Practices for Driver Licensing, Volume 2: Case Studies of Medical Referrals and Licensing Outcomes in Six States

This is the second of three reports examining driver medical review practices in the United States and how they fulfill the basic functions of identifying, assessing, and rendering licensing decisions on medically at-risk drivers. This volume presents the findings of case studies describing the referral sources, medical review requirements, and licensing outcomes for a random sample of 500 passenger vehicle drivers referred for initial medical review/reexamination in six States in 2012: Maine, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. Results, presented on a State-by-State basis, include (1) sampling methodology, (2) referral sources and proportions of the sample referred by each, (3) the proportions of drivers required to submit medical statements from their treating physicians and/or undergo vision, knowledge, and road testing as a result of medical review, and (4) licensing outcomes by each referral source sampled, including no change in license status; licensed with a periodic review requirement and/or driving restrictions; loss of licensure; or voluntarily license cancellation. Following the State-by-State summaries of referral sources and medical review outcomes, the report compares medical review outcomes organized by referral source, and describes differences in medical review processes and guidelines that may explain observed differences. Conclusions based on observations support recommendations for practices that may: (1) increase appropriate referrals for medical review; (2) improve the medical review process with the goal of maintaining individual and public safety while preserving mobility among those with declining functional abilities; and (3) ensure that licensing agency resources applied to medical review are focused on the subset of drivers most needing to be medically reviewed and tested. Report appendices provide detailed summaries of the medical review process and outcomes for each State’s 500-driver sample, including a comparison of case study driver demographics to those of the population of licensed drivers in the State, reasons for referral by referral source, a flow chart showing the medical review process and where drivers lost licensure at each stage in the process, case disposition times, feedback to reporting source, case cost (where available), proportion of drivers that appealed the licensing agency’s decision, and additional analyses where data were provided for unique situations.

• Record URL:
  https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/documents/12805_mab_driverlicensingvol2_031317_v3a-tag.pdf
• 
• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/2087
• Corporate Authors:

  TransAnalytics, LLC

  336 West Broad Street
  Quakertown, PA  United States  18951

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Lococo, Kathy H
  • Sifrit, Kathy J
  • Stutts, Jane
  • Joyce, John J
  • Staplin, Loren
• Publication Date: 2017-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 226p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Case studies; Diseases and medical conditions; Driver licensing; Guidelines; State of the practice
• Identifier Terms: Medical Advisory Boards
• Uncontrolled Terms: Medical policy; Reporting medical impairment
• Geographic Terms: Maine; Ohio; Oregon; Texas; Washington (State); Wisconsin
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01636590
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOT HS 812 380
• Contract Numbers: DTNH22-09-D-00135; Task Order 08
• Files: HSL, NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: May 28 2017 6:52PM