Medication Changes Among Older Drivers Involved in Motor Vehicle Crashes

Although older adults may use potentially driver-impairing (PDI) medications that can produce psychomotor impairment, little is known about changes to PDI medication use among older adults from the time before to the time after a motor vehicle crash (MVC).

To quantify use of and changes in PDI medications among older adults before and after an MVC.

This cohort study used linked Medicare claims and police-reported MVC data on 154 096 person-crashes among 121 846 older drivers. Eligible persons were drivers aged 66 years or older, involved in a police-reported MVC in New Jersey from May 1, 2007, through December 31, 2017, and with continuous enrollment in Medicare fee-for-service Parts A and B for at least 12 months and Part D for at least 120 days prior to the MVC. Data were analyzed from January 2022 to May 2024.

Use of benzodiazepines, nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics, opioid analgesics, and other PDI medications in the 120 days before and 120 days after the MVC. Because each person could contribute multiple MVCs during the study period if they met eligibility criteria, the unit of analysis was the number of person-crashes. The proportion of person-crashes after which PDI medications were started, discontinued, or continued was quantified as well.

Among 154 096 eligible person-crashes, the mean (SD) age of the drivers was 75.2 (6.7) years at the time of the MVC. Of 121 846 unique persons, 51.6% were women. In 80.0% of the person-crashes, drivers used 1 or more PDI medications before the crash, and in 81.0% of the person-crashes, drivers used 1 or more PDI medications after the crash. Use of benzodiazepines (8.1% before the crash and 8.8% after the crash), nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics (5.9% before the crash and 6.0% after the crash), and opioid analgesics (15.4% before the crash and 17.5% after the crash) was slightly higher after the MVC. After the MVC, drivers in 2.1% of person-crashes started benzodiazepines and 1.4% stopped benzodiazepines, drivers in 1.2% of person-crashes started nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics and 1.2% stopped nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics, and drivers in 8.4% of person-crashes started opioid analgesics and 6.3% stopped opioid analgesics.

This cohort study suggests that most older drivers involved in MVCs did not use fewer PDI medications after crashes than before crashes. Qualitative research of perceived risks vs benefits of PDI medications is necessary to understand the reasons why MVCs do not appear to motivate clinicians to deprescribe PDI medications as a strategy to avert potential harms, including additional MVCs.