Dangerous age
Car accidents are dangerous for all road users, both for drivers and passengers. According to statistics, the frequency of deaths increases in direct proportion to the age of drivers, reaching a peak after 65 years. At the same time, self-driving gives older people independence and the opportunity to lead a full life.
Numerous studies have proven the risk of driving in the presence of dementia and other age-related brain changes in an elderly person. But what to do if cognitive abilities are preserved has not been studied.
A group of researchers analyzed the frequency of accidents involving elderly drivers. The study took into account the number of traffic accidents and changes in the cognitive abilities of participants over time.
For the assessment, data for 2002-2015 from the ongoing study of age-related changes in thinking (Adult Changes in Thought, ACT) were used. The results were evaluated by a comprehensive CASI indicator – a Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument.
CASI has a range from 17 to 100 points and performs quantitative assessment of attention, concentration, orientation, short-term and long-term memory, communication, visual design, decision-making speed, abstraction and judgment.
CASI indicators were compared with the database of accidents in Washington state. The analysis includes all accidents that resulted in injuries, death or property damage in the amount of more than $ 1,000.
Low cognitive abilities, as well as depression, increased the frequency of accidents. The decrease in CASI by 1 point was associated with an increase in the risk of an accident by 1.26 times.
The researchers noted that, unfortunately, a clinical standard has not yet been developed that would regulate the procedure for allowing/prohibiting driving for people over 65 years of age. They urge medical professionals and relatives in contact with an elderly person to independently assess all the risks and benefits of driving. If safety is in doubt, do the maximum so that an elderly person does not feel limited in something, even without the ability to drive a car independently.
Article by L. A. Fraade-Blanar et al. Cognitive decline and older driver crash risk is published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru