Watching Out for Older Drivers

Abstract

Abstract Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of injury-related deaths among adults age 65 to 74. This risk for traffic fatalities may triple as the numbers of older drivers increases in the coming years. It is the ethical opinion the American Medical Association (AMA) that physicians have a responsibility to recognize and document mental and physical impairments that may affect patients' driving safety and pose a risk to the public. They must use their best judgment when reporting impairments that limit patients' driving. To fulfill this ethical responsibility physicians must possess specific knowledge and skill for recognizing and evaluating unsafe driving risk and counseling patients and their families. Driving Evaluation is a core lecture for clinical fellows in the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. This PowerPoint presentation was developed to organize and present up-to-date information based on the AMA Physician's Guide to Assessing and Counseling Older Drivers. The presentation is used during the beginning of the geriatric medicine clinical training year. It is typically given with 5–8 learners in a classroom setting. After presenting key facts and red flags, the case of a patient with ambiguous driving risks is presented and analyzed by learners. The case is based on a hypothetical patient with risks for unsafe driving. However the details of the patient's history create enough ambiguity about his actual risk for unsafe driving to stimulate a challenging discussion among the learners. The case is also used as the basis for a brief role-playing episode designed to reinforce the physician's skill discussing unsafe driving and recommendations with the patient. The AMA Physician's Guide is used as a resource for the faculty leader, including references for specific state laws and tools for patient evaluation and education.

Keywords

• Older Drivers
• Automobile Driving
• Screening