Patients

Injury, medical procedure, disease, medication and age all have impacts on our driving fitness. The act of driving is very complex. It involves physical and motor skills, visual capabilities, and sophisticated cognitive abilities. We learned and honed these skills and abilities over years of driving. When we drive, we do so almost automatically, without really thinking about it. When do our motor skills, vision and cognition diminish?

 

There is no magic age when this occurs. However, according to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, in 2007 motor vehicle crash deaths per capita among males and females began to increase markedly at ages 70-74. Interestingly, across all age groups, males had substantially higher death rates than females.

Fatality Facts 2007, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

 

The rate of passenger vehicle fatal crash per 100 million miles traveled was higher for drivers 80 and older than for drivers of any other age group except teenagers. Drivers 85 and older had the highest rate of fatal crashes.

 

Passenger vehicle fatal crash involvements per 100 million miles traveled by driver age, April 2001 to March 2002

Fatality Facts 2007, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

 

Because we live longer, we will be driving longer. The population of U.S. adults aged 65 and older is estimated to be around 80 million by 2050. The number of licensed drivers in the U.S. will increase proportionally.

 

    

 

For most of us, if we live long enough, we will be confronted with the decision of when to cease driving. What typically happens is that driving is not stopped all at once. Rather, driving patterns change, become simplified. We begin to only drive to places we are accustomed to: the store, the bank, the post office, church, to the houses our friends and family members. We stop driving at night or when the weather looks bad. We avoid the freeway. We don’t drive during the weekday rush hours.

 

As we age, we also experience more medical conditions: strokes, orthopaedic operations, arthritis, injuries from falls, and problems with vision and hearing. All of these can impact our abilities to drive our car, SUV, crossover or pickup truck.

 

A driving simulator can provide an individual with a safe and controlled environment to:

The virtual driving world you experience in a driving simulator includes residential, suburban, urban, rural, industrial, freeways, from the simple to the complex. The driver –the patient – is able to drive in a realistic vehicle that is easy to use and adapt.