Sleep medication and traffic safety in the elderly

Abstract

Introduction It has been estimated that in 2020 more than 15% of drivers will be over 65 years old. Driving a car is an important way for the elderly to maintain their independence, since other forms of transportation such as walking or riding a bicycle may become compromised during aging. Consequently, most elderly people do not want to stop driving. Moreover, patients (and healthy people) often regard driving a car as a right and not a privilege. It has been shown that driving cessation has been associated with increases in reports of depressive symptoms. On the other hand, driving performance may become less efficient with advancing age and traffic accident risks may increase accordingly. With advancing age there are well-documented declines in cognitive functioning, motor ability, and reaction time that are only partly compensated for by increased driving experience (when compared to younger drivers). In addition, peripheral vision worsens with increasing age. Taking both the issues of mobility and safety into account, accurate assessment of driving ability is of great importance. Driving a car is an example of complex behavior that requires concurrent use of cognitive, perceptual, and motor skills. Although driving is practiced often and parts of driving become more or less automatic processes (e.g. using the gear) several other skills and abilities used during driving require active attention and concentration (e.g. anticipating the behavior of other drivers). In fact, the majority of traffic accidents are caused by driver inattention.