RISK OF AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS AMONG ELDERLY DRIVERS WITH IMPAIRMENTS OR CHRONIC DISEASES

A case-control study was conducted in Quebec elderly men in order to d ocument the risk of road accidents associated with impairments or chro nic medical conditions. All 1,400 drivers who had had an accident with either mild bodily injury or only property damage during their 70th y ear in 1988 and 1989 were selected as cases from the accident file of the ''Societe de l'Assurance Automobile du Quebec'' (SAAQ). They were compared to 2,636 controls randomly selected among drivers of the same age. Information on medical conditions was also obtained for all subj ects from the SAAQ. Mileage and driving habits were documented through a mail questionnaire. Relative risk of accidents associated with medi cal conditions were estimated while controlling for confounders. Overa ll, the results suggest that elderly drivers of private vehicles with impairments or chronic medical conditions are not at increased risk of road accidents. Only those with arrhythmias had a significant increas e in risk (OR=1.63, CI: 1.00-2.65). This study does not support more s evere norms for elderly drivers.