Leonardo Santos Rocha Pitta1, Juliana Lima Quintas2, Isabela Oliveira Azevedo Trindade2, Patrícia Belchior3, Keli da Silva Duarte Gameiro2, Ciro Martins Gomes2, Otávio Toledo Nóbrega4, Einstein Francisco Camargos5. 1. University of Brasilia, Multidisciplinary Center for the Aged, Brasília, DF, Brazil; Hospital de Base, Department of Geriatrics, Brasilia, Brazil. Electronic address: Leonardo_pitta@yahoo.com.br. 2. University of Brasilia, Multidisciplinary Center for the Aged, Brasília, DF, Brazil. 3. McGill University, School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Montreal, QC, Canada; Centre de Recherche de l'Lnstitut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada. 4. University of Brasilia, Multidisciplinary Center for the Aged, Brasília, DF, Brazil; Centre de Recherche de l'Lnstitut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada. 5. University of Brasilia, Multidisciplinary Center for the Aged, Brasília, DF, Brazil. Electronic address: einstein@unb.br.
Abstract
Older adults have become a larger part of the driving population, but whether they are at increased risk of being involved in fatal crashes remains unclear. METHODS: We performed a systematic review of studies investigating fatal crash involvement of older vs non-older drivers by searching the following databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, LILACS, SciELO, Web of Science, and ProQuest. Studies that used fatal crash involvement rates per distance driven as a measure of frequency were selected for meta-analysis. RESULTS: We analyzed 14 studies published between 2001 and 2018. Of these, 12 reported a higher rate of fatal crashes involving older drivers than non-older drivers; 9 of them used involvement rates per distance driven, which is considered the most appropriate metric. The meta-analysis revealed high heterogeneity between studies. The meta-regression attributed 40% of the heterogeneity to age (older vs non-older drivers) (p<0.005). CONCLUSION: Age appears to be associated with higher driver involvement rates for fatal crashes among older persons.
Older adults have become a larger part of the driving population, but whether they are at increased risk of being involved in fatal crashes remains unclear. METHODS: We performed a systematic review of studies investigating fatal crash involvement of older vs non-older drivers by searching the following databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, LILACS, SciELO, Web of Science, and ProQuest. Studies that used fatal crash involvement rates per distance driven as a measure of frequency were selected for meta-analysis. RESULTS: We analyzed 14 studies published between 2001 and 2018. Of these, 12 reported a higher rate of fatal crashes involving older drivers than non-older drivers; 9 of them used involvement rates per distance driven, which is considered the most appropriate metric. The meta-analysis revealed high heterogeneity between studies. The meta-regression attributed 40% of the heterogeneity to age (older vs non-older drivers) (p<0.005). CONCLUSION: Age appears to be associated with higher driver involvement rates for fatal crashes among older persons.