Older Driver and Occupant Safety

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Older Driver and Occupant Safety

• Gerald McGwin, Jr., M.S., Ph.D.
• Departments of Epidemiology, Ophthalmology and
  Surgery
• University of Alabama at Birmingham

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Crash Rate Decomposition
SOURCE Dellinger AM, et al. AJE 2002
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Crash Rate Decomposition
SOURCE Dellinger AM, et al. AJE 2002
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Prevention Efforts

• Interventions tend to focus on primary prevention.

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Crash Rate Decomposition
SOURCE Dellinger AM, et al. AJE 2002
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Mean Daily Minutes and Miles Spent Driving by
Driver Age National Household Travel Survey,
2001 U.S. Department of Transportation
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Prevention Efforts

• Interventions tend to focus on primary
  prevention.
• These interventions either demonstrate small,
  significant effects, lack evaluation or have not
  impacted crash involvement.
• Studies evaluating secondary and tertiary
  prevention rare

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Crash Rate Decomposition
SOURCE Dellinger AM, et al. AJE 2002
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• Older Driver Fragility
• Opportunities for Reducing Fatalities

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Older Driver Fragility

• Increased Susceptibility to Injury

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Older Driver Fragility

• Who is at Risk?

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Older Driver Fragility

• Secondary Prevention Opportunities

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Older Occupant Protection

• Seat belts are most effective means of reducing
  risk of injury and fatality from MVCs.
• Some research suggests that seat belts may be
  less effective among older drivers.
• Air bags have been shown to offer trivial
  benefits in preventing injury and death.
• They can be harmful to small children whether
  they provide equivalent protection for adults
  of all ages, however, has not been
  addressed.

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Risk Ratios and 95 Confidence Intervals for
Association Between Severe Injury and Seat Belt
Use According to Age
phomogeneity0.15
Adjusted for age, gender, delta-v, curb weight,
seating position, air bag deployment
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Risk Ratios and 95 Confidence Intervals for
Association Between Moderate Injury and Seat
Belt Use According to Age
phomogeneity0.23
Adjusted for age, gender, delta-v, curb weight,
seating position, air bag deployment
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Risk Ratios and 95 Confidence Intervals for
Association Between Minor Injury and Seat Belt
Use According to Age
phomogeneity0.26
Adjusted for age, gender, delta-v, curb weight,
seating position, air bag deployment
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Risk Ratios and 95 Confidence Intervals for
Association Between Severe Injury and Air Bag
Deployment According to Age
phomogeneity0.40
Adjusted for age, gender, delta-v, curb weight,
seating position, air bag deployment
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Risk Ratios and 95 Confidence Intervals for
Association Between Moderate Injury and Air Bag
Deployment According to Age
phomogeneity0.61
Adjusted for age, gender, delta-v, curb weight,
seating position, air bag deployment
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Risk Ratios and 95 Confidence Intervals for
Association Between Minor Injury and Air Bag
Deployment According to Age
phomogeneity0.004
Adjusted for age, gender, delta-v, curb weight,
seating position, air bag deployment
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Older Driver Fragility

• Long Term Consequences

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Summary

• Increased susceptibility to injury/death among
  older drivers underscores need for primary
  prevention efforts.
• Reduced effectiveness of air bags for older
  drivers suggests the need for restraint systems
  tailored towards aging population.

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Older Driver and Occupant Safety

• Gerald McGwin, Jr., M.S., Ph.D.
• Departments of Epidemiology, Ophthalmology and
  Surgery
• University of Alabama at Birmingham