Predicting and coping with the consequences of stopping driving.
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Great Britain's 1983 "Christmas Crusade" against drunken drivers, during which the police of England and Wales administered an average of 1350 breath tests daily, is discussed. Although not deliberately planned and organized, the campaign, fueled by press reports, was perceived by many observes to be a national organized deterrent effort. To test the hypothesis that the crusade reduced drunken driving, the index of total automobile crash-related fatalities was used in the analysis. Results showed that the index declined significantly during the month of the crusade, providing support for the hypothesis of deterrent effect. The experience of the Christmas Crusade reinforces the expectation that deterrent interventions involving highly publicized campaigns increasing the certainty of punishment for illegal behavior can be successful over a limited period of time.
30 male and 13 female licensed drivers were given a static reaction-time test for Donders Type B reactions to the onset of automotive rear lights. The lights were displayed as by conventional systems and by a new color-specific method referred to as the "Red Light Means Stop approach." When subjects were instructed to regard all red colored light as brake-signal light, both incidence of identification error and reaction time decreased. Results support the hypothesis that addition of color specificity to rear lighting might prevent some rear-end collisions which occur under adverse driving circumstances.
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Glaucoma, an eye disorder that gradually decreases peripheral vision, affects millions of older adults. Consequences of glaucoma can mean changes in the ability to perform familiar tasks, including driving an automobile. We surveyed older drivers with glaucoma and a control comparison group in order to learn more about their driving habits and expectations about driving cessation. Findings indicate that compared to the control group, drivers with glaucoma are significantly more likely to change their driving habits with regard to driving at night (p=0.003), on freeways (p=0.05), and in unfamiliar areas (p=0.01). Drivers with glaucoma were also significantly more likely to report family concern about their driving (p=0.01). However, the drivers with glaucoma did not anticipate that their disease would force them to discontinue driving. Social workers play a pivotal role in coordinating the complex care needs of visually impaired elders. When driving skills are affected, social workers must address transportation, housing as well as quality of life concerns.
The question whether a person with epilepsy qualified for a driving licence must be examined from the point of view of the individual as well as that of the community. The general public should be protected against unduly high risks from epileptic drivers, whereas the patient has a right to live as normal a life as possible, which includes driving an automobile. Too rigid criteria for obtaining the license increase the number of persons who evade medical control and drive "illegally". To require physicians to report their epileptic patients to the authorities would be counterproductive; it would also destroy the personal confidence between physician and patient which is so essential for successful treatment. Epileptic persons endanger safety on the road only slightly: 0.1-0.3% of all traffic accidents are due to epileptic seizures. In contrast, abuse of alcohol plays a major role in 6-9% of all accidents, whereas 80-90% are attributable to evident mistakes by the driver. Epileptic patients under regular medical supervision who are licenced on grounds of approved criteria do not cause more accidents than the general population. A dangerous group are, however, those with mental alterations (organic or reactive) and particularly patients with aggressive and expansive-compensatory traits, as well as those driving without permission. Prognostic criteria as to the further course of the disease are paramount for the assessment of qualification for the licence. The following rules have proved their worth: 2 years freedom from seizures (with or without therapy), no abnormalities specific for epilepsy in the EEG, no serious mental changes, regular medical supervision and treatment mus be guaranteed. Departures from these rules should be confined to exceptional cases with the consent of a physician specialized in epileptology. The same holds for admission to higher categories of driving licence, the only practical eventuality being category D (lorries), and even this only in rare cases. It will scarcely ever be possibel to licence a person who has at some time had epilepsy for professional passanger transportation. The attitude of the physician who first sees the seizure patient is often decisive. It is important that he recognizes the problem, objectively informs his patient and from the very outset gives him realistic advice in order to avoid false decisions, particularly regarding his professional career.