Older Commercial Drivers: Do They Pose a Safety Risk. Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Program Synthesis 18

摘要

This report provides a knowledge base regarding age-related changes in the basic functional abilities needed to drive safely that can assist industry and labor practitioners in promoting safer commercial operations. It may also inform the broader commercial vehicle safety community and the FMCSA in developing policies and regulations that protect public safety without penalizing drivers on the basis of their age. This report contains the following sections: (1) A statement of the background and the problem that brought about this project. (2) A literature review on changes in medical (functional) fitness to drive that affect older drivers generally and older commercial drivers specifically. (3) The results of a series of structured interviews with carriers and others in the trucking industry regarding older commercial drivers. (4) Conclusions.