With the help of a new national blueprint launched last week, senior drivers will be able to improve their driving skills and maintain their fitness to drive for as long as possible.
Launched by the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) and McGill University, the Older Drivers Blueprint aims to reduce injury and death among senior drivers by providing refresher programs.
According to CAOT, the leading cause of accidental death for persons 65 to 75 years old is driving-related crashes. Drivers over the age of 75 are 3.5 times more likely to be involved in a crash per mile driven than a 35- to 40-year-old driver.
Research also reveals that the risk of motor vehicle crashes increases even further when the driver is over 75, debunking the myth that the older the driver the safer the driving.
“The national blueprint wants to draw attention to crash rates that are high in older drivers and are increasing, and we also want to draw attention to the fact that soon one in every four Canadians on the road will be greater than 65. So we need a health promotion attitude towards older drivers,” says Nicol Korner-Bitensky, associate professor at the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy at McGill University.
By 2040, the number of older drivers is expected to be more than six million, up from three million today. Korner-Bitensky says the time has come to “find creative solutions” to enable older drivers to remain competent behind the wheel.
“There is nice research suggesting that we can retrain response time, we can retrain visual scanning abilities, so it’s time to set a national goal of getting refresher programs for older people when they want them across the nation.”
The blueprint will be used by older drivers, occupational therapists, physicians and healthcare professionals, seniors’ agencies, community groups, transportation departments, insurance and automobile industries, traffic safety professionals, and policymakers as all levels of government.
Korner-Bitensky stresses that the blueprint is not about taking away older drivers’ freedom to drive, and decries the negative way in which older drivers are sometimes portrayed.
“We went across our nation and we spoke to older drivers and asked them what they wanted, and one of the things we heard very clearly is, ‘We want to stop this punitive feeling and do something that’s proactive.’ Older drivers told us ‘we’re willing and we’re able to get out there and come to community-based programs.’”
She says the blueprint will give physicians something positive to offer when they screen older drivers’ fitness to drive.
“We need to draw attention to the positive part. Right now physicians do not like their role of only being seen as the person who tells you you can no longer drive. It’s not a vision that they want to fulfill on a daily basis.”
Launched by the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) and McGill University, the Older Drivers Blueprint aims to reduce injury and death among senior drivers by providing refresher programs.
According to CAOT, the leading cause of accidental death for persons 65 to 75 years old is driving-related crashes. Drivers over the age of 75 are 3.5 times more likely to be involved in a crash per mile driven than a 35- to 40-year-old driver.
Research also reveals that the risk of motor vehicle crashes increases even further when the driver is over 75, debunking the myth that the older the driver the safer the driving.
“The national blueprint wants to draw attention to crash rates that are high in older drivers and are increasing, and we also want to draw attention to the fact that soon one in every four Canadians on the road will be greater than 65. So we need a health promotion attitude towards older drivers,” says Nicol Korner-Bitensky, associate professor at the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy at McGill University.
By 2040, the number of older drivers is expected to be more than six million, up from three million today. Korner-Bitensky says the time has come to “find creative solutions” to enable older drivers to remain competent behind the wheel.
“There is nice research suggesting that we can retrain response time, we can retrain visual scanning abilities, so it’s time to set a national goal of getting refresher programs for older people when they want them across the nation.”
The blueprint will be used by older drivers, occupational therapists, physicians and healthcare professionals, seniors’ agencies, community groups, transportation departments, insurance and automobile industries, traffic safety professionals, and policymakers as all levels of government.
Korner-Bitensky stresses that the blueprint is not about taking away older drivers’ freedom to drive, and decries the negative way in which older drivers are sometimes portrayed.
“We went across our nation and we spoke to older drivers and asked them what they wanted, and one of the things we heard very clearly is, ‘We want to stop this punitive feeling and do something that’s proactive.’ Older drivers told us ‘we’re willing and we’re able to get out there and come to community-based programs.’”
She says the blueprint will give physicians something positive to offer when they screen older drivers’ fitness to drive.
“We need to draw attention to the positive part. Right now physicians do not like their role of only being seen as the person who tells you you can no longer drive. It’s not a vision that they want to fulfill on a daily basis.”
