# Presentation: 799444

##  Screening and Assessment

**White House Conference on Aging: Policy Committee**
**Listening Session – Transportation – January 8, 2004**** **
-  Screening and Assessment
- 				 *for * Driver Licensure
- 				                     *presented by*
- 			                                  Loren Staplin, Ph.D.
-                                                             *T**rans**A**nalytics, **LLC*

## TransAnalytics, LLC

*T**rans**A**nalytics, LLC*

**BACKGROUND**
**•  ****As the number and proportion of older persons in the U.S. surges in the decades ahead, the inevitability of age-related losses in visual, physical, and cognitive abilities needed to drive safely will demand more effective countermeasures to avoid a crisis in personal and public safety.**
**•  ****The frequency of crashes due to age-related impairments will rise... one HHS/NHTSA-sponsored study projects fatalities of >20,000/year by 2030.**
**•****  ****U.S. economic costs for each fatal crash average $997,000; for each critically injured crash survivor the cost is $1.1 million (in 2000 dollars). **
**•****  ****While current policy favors infrastructure solutions, this will become increasingly costly and/or will be insufficient to mitigate crash problems; it also implies that responsibility rests exclusively with government.**
**•  *****Screening***** is distinguished from *****assessment*****; and, *****skills***** from *****abilities*****. **

**White House Conference on Aging  —  Listening Session: Transportation**

## TransAnalytics, LLC

*T**rans**A**nalytics, LLC*

**IMPORTANT RECENT DEVELOPMENTS**
**•  ****Research sponsored by NHTSA and NIA has isolated a few functional abilities that are the best predictors of (at-fault) crash risk for seniors.   **
**•  ****Practical, reliable, standardized test procedures to screen drivers on the key crash predictors have been developed and are currently in use. **
**•****  ****Preliminary analyses of a motor vehicle administration’s experience  with functional capacity screening indicate that it is both feasible to administer and can be implemented cost effectively.  **[for a referral pop.]
**• **** ****The AMA has endorsed the evaluation of older patients’ fitness to drive as an ethical responsibility of physicians, and has issued guidelines to assist them.**
**•  ****Advocacy groups for seniors, and older persons themselves,**** ****express a growing acceptance of steps to ensure driving health/fitness.**

**White House Conference on Aging  —  Listening Session: Transportation**

##     By promoting ‘fitness-to-drive’ screening for license renewal that is:

**POLICY INITIATIVES AND ANTICIPATED BENEFITS**
**  ********  ****By promoting ‘fitness-to-drive’ screening for license renewal that is:**
**	****	********  ****perceived by the public to be fair (not age biased);                                             ****	********  reasonably quick and convenient in its application; *****and*****          ****	********  cost-effective to implement, either by licensing authorities or*****	******    *****credentialed private sector entities, depending on jurisdiction; **
***   *********  ****The following benefits are projected:**
**•****  ****Injury *****prevention***** for the great majority of seniors, due to ‘early warning’ of (mildly) impairing conditions that can be addressed through adaptive and/or remedial activities that***** actually***** *****extend the safe driving years*****. **
**•****  ****Many fewer drivers with profound functional losses on public roads and highways — making future ‘Santa Monicas’ much less likely.**
**•****  ****A net cost savings to society, if even 10% of fatal and/or serious injury crashes caused by functionally impaired drivers are prevented.**

*T**rans**A**nalytics, LLC*

**White House Conference on Aging  —  Listening Session: Transportation**