Model Driver Screening and Evaluation Program. Final Technical Report. Volume 2: Maryland Pilot Older Driver Study

摘要

The research project studied the feasibility as well as the scientific validity and utility of performing functional capacity screening with older drivers. A Model Program was described encompassing procedures to detect functionally impaired drivers who pose an elevated risk to themselves and others; to support remediation of functional limitations if possible; to provide mobility counseling to inform and connect individuals with local alternative transportation options; and to educate the public and professionals about the link between functional decline and driving safety-all within a larger context of helping to preserve and extend the mobility of older persons. Early in this project, a questionnaire was developed and distributed to Driver License Administrators in the U.S. and Canada to broadly determine cost and time parameters, while identifying legal, ethical, or policy implications that could influence implementation of Model Program activities. Subsequently, a battery of functional tests was developed and pilot tested in Motor Vehicle Administration sites, and in the community. A database of scores on functional ability measures, driving habits information, and crash and violation history was created for over 2,500 drivers in three samples drawn from license renewal, medical referral, and residential community populations.