What Works Best to Keep Drivers With Dementia Off the Road

A study published in Neurology found in-person license renewal and driver vision testing laws to be more effective than mandatory doctor reporting of persons with dementia in keeping drivers with the condition off the road, reports HealthDay News . The researchers analyzed 2004-2009 data on nearly 137,000 older drivers in the U.S. who were hospitalized following a crash. Hospitalized drivers, aged 60 to 69, in states with in-person license renewal laws were approximately 38 percent less likely to have dementia than those in states lacking such laws. In addition, in states with vision testing at license renewal, drivers were 23 percent to 28 percent less likely to have dementia than those in states without vision testing requirements. Statutes requiring doctors to report drivers with dementia were not connected with reduced chance of dementia among hospitalized older drivers. "The results of our study point to age-based licensing requirements as an effective way to improve safety," say Steven Albert with the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health. "But such requirements also may cause social isolation and depression, and may be seen as ageist and discriminatory."