Characteristics of older drivers who self-limit their driving

Driver age, gender, medical conditions, and impairments in memory, vision, and physical functioning as predictors of self-limited driving were examined among a sample of 2,650 drivers 65 and older from Kentucky (n=1,337), Connecticut (n=828), and Rhode Island (n=485). Drivers were recruited while renewing their driver's licenses and were interviewed by telephone about their current driving patterns (e.g., whether they self-limit their driving and, if so, how), functional abilities related to driving (vision, memory, physical functioning, and diagnosed medical conditions), transportation options, and driver characteristics. The prevalence of driving-related impairments generally increased with driver age group, and memory impairment and medical conditions were more common than vision or physical functioning impairments among drivers in all three states. Adjusting for several factors including state, gender, and marital status, logistic regression analysis indicated that the likelihood of participants self-limiting their driving was increased by 19 percent with each additional memory impairment item on which they reported increased difficulty compared with 5 years ago, 19 percent with each additional visual impairment item, 32 percent with each additional physical functioning impairment item, and 13 percent with each additional diagnosed medical condition. Drivers 80 and older were more than twice as likely as drivers ages 65-69 to self-limit their driving.