Elderly Licensure Laws and Motor Vehicle Fatalities

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Motor vehicle fatality rates among older drivers have been increasing since 1980, particularly among those aged 85 years or older.1 Moreover, elderly individuals have more fatal crashes per mile driven than any other group except teenage males.2 The aging of the US population over the next 25 years makes these statistics particularly distressing. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: "Drivers aged 65 and older . . . are expected to account for as much as 25 percent of total driver fatalities in 2030, compared to 14 percent currently."3 Although there is debate among clinicians about the appropriate role of public policy in regulating older drivers,4,5 the American Medical Association recently released a report calling on physicians to help older motorists drive more safely by testing motor skills and by regulating medications.6 Growing public concern over this issue is reflected in newspaper editorials calling for stricter licensure laws among the elderly.7-9

This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit: