Sudden natural death 'at the wheel': a retrospective study over a 15-year time period (1982-1996)

In order to investigate the incidence and implications of sudden natural de ath at the wheel, a retrospective study was carried out over a 15-year time period ranging from 1982 until 1996. During this time period 147 drivers o f motor vehicles were found out of 34 554 cases examined at the Institute o f Legal Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany. There wer e 13 females and 134 males and the mean age was 56.8 years (range 20-86 yea rs). The main cause of death was ischemic heart disease which was found in 113 cases. There were mainly minor injuries to the driver, or to other pass engers, or to other road users and only minor property damage. Our study co nfirms previous investigations that sudden natural death at the wheel is a rare event in proportion to unnatural death at the wheel and is not a subst antial threat to other road users. Despite existing guidelines for granting a driving licence, medical screening to exclude high risk patients from dr iving cannot prevent the occurrence of sudden natural death at the wheel. ( C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.