Older drivers unaware of risks from drug side effects

Beth Janicek

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According to a new study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety in USA Today, many older drivers who take prescribed medication are unaware of the side effects that can affect their performance behind the wheel. The study conducted detailed interviews of 630 people between the ages of 59 and 63 and found:

• People with one or more medical conditions – 95%
• People using one or more potentially driver-impairing prescription medications – 69%
• People who have received warnings about such medications from health care professional – 18%
• People using five or more prescriptions that are potentially driver-impairing – 10%

What is most unsettling about this study is that researchers found that the drivers’ awareness of potential side effects decreased with age just as the number of prescription medications people take increased. In addition, the number of drivers age 55 and older is expected to increase by more than half by 2030.

Peter Kissinger, president and CEO of AAA Foundation said,

“We as a society are not getting the message to these older drivers. Health care professionals need to do a better job of educating patients. Family members of older drivers need to be much more engaged. They need to find out what medications their relatives are on, talk to a pharmacist if necessary. It’s something that could avoid a catastrophe.”

While older drivers are only involved in a small proportion of all crashes, they have the highest crash rate per mile traveled. This is really an issue for all drivers. People of all ages need to be more aware of the effect that the medications may have on their driving.