Police referral of drivers to the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration's Medical Advisory Board

Abstract

In the 50 United States and the District of Columbia law enforcement medical referrals are accepted by licensing agencies. This study assessed driving actions, medical concerns, and medical conditions in 486 police referrals to the Medical Advisory Board of the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration during a 25-month period. Driving actions, medical concerns, and medical conditions were grouped into categories and entered into a database. These elements were analyzed relative to driver age and sex. In addition, the issuance of citations for driving violations was studied relative to age and sex. A greater percentage of drivers 60 years of age or greater (senior adults) were referred compared to the general population of licensed drivers that age, being 71.4% vs 20.6% (p <0.01). Crashing, the most common driving action, was not associated with age or sex. Among driving actions frequently mentioned relative to older drivers, only confusion of pedals was associated with senior adults drivers as compared to younger drivers (6.1% vs 0.1%, p <0.01). Of the most frequently mentioned medical concerns, confusion/disorientation was associated with being a senior adult (p <0.01), while loss of consciousness was associated with younger drivers (p <0.01). The most frequently mentioned medical conditions, diabetes and seizure, were associated with being under 60 years of age. All mentions of dementia were in senior adult drivers. Compared with younger drivers, drivers 60 years of age or older, were less often summoned for driving violations, being 33.0% vs 53.5% (p <0.01), respectively. The threshold for the issuance of fewer citations was lower for men (40 to 59 years of age) compared to women (60 years of age or greater). Studies are needed to correlate specific traffic violations and/or crashes to specific medical conditions.

Figure 1.

State of Maryland police officer Request for Re-examination of Driver report form for referral to the Motor Vehicle Administration. Note: The officer is provided space to present narrative information for 1) “Physical Defects: (be specific),” and “Summary: What action of the driver led you to the impression of the need for re-examination?”