Pursuit of Licensure by Senior Drivers Referred by Police to a State Licensing Agency's Medical Advisory Board

Abstract

In all fifty United States and the District of Columbia, police Requests for Re-examination (RRE) concerning fitness to driver are accepted by licensing agencies. This study assessed licensing outcomes of senior drivers, ≥75 years of age, who had RREs submitted to the Medical Advisory Board (MAB) of a Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration from March 2005 through April 2007. RRE traffic event information (including crashed, did not crash), driver demographic information, initial MAB recommendations (suspension vs no suspension), driving occupational therapists assessments, and drivers' pursuit of continued licensure were entered into a database. During the period of study, 475 RREs were referred to the MAB. The percent of referred senior drivers (n=240, 50.4%) was similar to that of younger drivers (n=235, 49.5%). A higher percentage of senior drivers retired from driving compared to younger drivers; being, 57.1% vs 23.8% (p <.01), respectively. Further analyses limited to the 240 senior drivers found: 139 (57.9%) were men, 150 (62.5%) were 75-84 years of age, 119 (49.5%) were noted to be disoriented at the traffic scene, 141 (58.8%) were involved in a crash, and 127 (52.9%) were initially suspended as the result of MAB review. The following factors were significantly related to retiring from driving, initial MAB suspension and greater age. Of the 127 drivers who were initially suspended, 82 (64.6%) retired from driving, and 45 (35.4%) pursued further licensure (p <0.01). In contrast, the percentage of non-suspended drivers who did or did not pursue further licensure was similar; being 48.7% vs 51.3%. Among drivers ≥85 years of age, 68.9% retired from driving, compared with 50% of the drivers who were 75 to 84 years of age (p <0.01) While not statisically significant, higher percentages of driving retirement were noted for the following: sex - a greater percentage of men compared to women (61.9% vs 49.5%); confusion at the traffic scene (confused, 57.1% vs non-confused, 42.9%); and crash involvement (56.7% who crashed, retired vs 43.3% of those who did not crash, retired). Overall, the most important finding of this study is that as a result of police referral, only one-fifth (20.4%) of senior drivers 75 years of age or older, continued to maintain their driving privilege. However, only 40 drivers (16.7%) retained their original driving privilege without added restrictions. The data suggest that senior drivers who are not medically fit to drive may be identified by police referrals to a licensing agency. Driving occupational therapy assessments and training, and additional driving restrictions are recommended to facilitate continuation of the driving privilege for some drivers.

Figure 1

Eventual Licensing Outcome of 240 Senior Drivers Referred by Police to MAB