Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 10, 2026
11:12
Driving Simulation in the Clinic: Testing Visual Exploratory Behavior in Daily Life Activities in Patients with Visual Field Defects
Published on: September 18, 2012
Driving cessation: what older former drivers tell us
A M Dellinger1, M Sehgal, D A Sleet
1National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30341, USA.
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
|May 12, 2001
Summary
Older adults often stop driving due to medical reasons or age, but surprisingly, those who ceased driving reported fewer medical conditions than active drivers. General health and functional ability appear more critical in this decision.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Transportation Safety
- Public Health
Background:
- Driving cessation is a significant life event for older adults, impacting independence and quality of life.
- Understanding the multifaceted reasons behind driving cessation is crucial for developing targeted support interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the primary determinants and contributing factors for driving cessation among older adults (age 55+) in a community setting.
- To analyze the relationship between demographic, health, and medical factors and the decision to stop driving.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional survey was administered to 1,950 licensed drivers aged 55 and older in a southern California community.
- Data collected included self-reported driving habits, demographic information, health status, and medical history.
- Statistical analyses, including bivariate and logistic regression, were used to identify factors associated with driving cessation.
Main Results:
- Of 1,950 respondents, 141 (7.2%) stopped driving in the past five years, with a mean age of 85.5 years and predominantly female participants.
- The most frequently cited reasons for driving cessation were medical issues (41.0%) and age-related factors (19.4%).
- While medical conditions were the most common reason, individuals who stopped driving reported fewer medical conditions compared to those who continued driving. Age and weekly mileage driven were significantly associated with cessation.
Conclusions:
- The decision to stop driving is complex, with medical conditions being a primary stated reason, yet paradoxically, fewer medical conditions were reported by those who ceased driving.
- Broader indicators of general health and functional ability may be more influential than specific medical diagnoses in the decision-making process for driving cessation.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the interplay between health status, functional capacity, and driving cessation in older populations.
Related Concept Videos
01:17Drug Dependence
Medications are typically administered to achieve therapeutic effects. Some drugs can modify an individual's mood and perception, frequently resulting in various enjoyable experiences. However, this can result in drug dependency, a condition marked by continuous drug use despite potential negative consequences. Drug dependency primarily falls into two categories: psychological and physical dependence. Psychological dependence occurs when the pleasurable feelings induced by the drug...
01:27CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine
Ethanol, a clear colorless alcohol, has been consumed by humans for millennia, but its effects on the body are far from benign. At lower doses, it induces decreased inhibitions and loquaciousness, leading to its social appeal. However, it can cause severe consequences at higher doses, such as coma and respiratory depression, due to its zero-order elimination kinetics. Chronic ethanol abuse wreaks havoc on multiple organ systems, particularly the CNS and the liver. Abrupt cessation of ethanol...
01:15Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
Elderly individuals encompass a diverse population with varying degrees of age-related physiological changes. Defining the elderly presents challenges, as the geriatric population is often arbitrarily categorized as individuals older than 65. However, many individuals in this group lead active and healthy lives, with an increasing number surpassing 85 years and falling into the older elderly category. Physiological changes associated with aging impact performance capacity and homeostatic...
01:27Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...
01:27Drive-Reduction Theory: Push Theory of Motivation
Clark Hull's drive-reduction theory, introduced in the 1940s and 1950s and often termed the "push theory" of motivation, provides a framework for understanding how biological and learned drives influence behavior. Hull suggested that motivation originates from the need to alleviate physiological tension caused by unmet biological necessities. The theory proposes that when a basic need, such as hunger or sleep, goes unfulfilled, it creates an internal imbalance. This imbalance, or drive, pushes...
01:30Cognitive Development During Adulthood
Cognitive development continues throughout adulthood, undergoing significant shifts across early, middle, and late stages. Individual transition occurs from adolescent idealism to pragmatic and adaptable thinking in early adulthood. During this period, individuals learn to integrate personal beliefs with the recognition that other perspectives are equally valid. Exposure to the complexities of modern society, diverse experiences, and higher education contribute to this adaptive thought process,...