1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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