Abstract
Aging and obesity are two key areas of research as risk factors leading to motor vehicle collisions (MVCs). However, only a few studies identified obese older drivers as an at-risk population of MVC (i.e., older than 65 years old with Body Mass Index greater than 30 kg/m2). This paper aims to review the literature related to aging, obesity, and MVCs. Extensive literature searches were conducted, and the results are presented in a narrative review of the literature, in order to discuss the risk for involvement in MVC as well as the solutions for this population. Extrinsic factors are components of the “built environment” that decrease road safety for this population and poor fit of the vehicle through their inappropriate design for this population. The intrinsic factors are the autonomy and the health status of the driver. Health status are challenges associated with obesity and aging that increase the prevalence of being part in a MVC and that increase risk of morbidity and mortality during or following a collision. Finally, some prevention strategies are presented for consideration. There is a need to inform public policy makers on the additional risk factors associated with aging and obesity for MVCs.
Highlights
IntroductionDespite many safety improvements (e.g., air bags, electronic stability control) in the past decades, motor vehicle collisions (MVC) continue to be a large source of mortality worldwide (World Health Organization, 2013)
Despite many safety improvements in the past decades, motor vehicle collisions (MVC) continue to be a large source of mortality worldwide (World Health Organization, 2013)
By the year 2030, 70 million individuals in the U.S.A. will be over age 65 and 90% of them will be licensed to drive. Considering that it is well-known that some aspects of normal aging affect driving capacity, pathological aging represents a higher incidence of MVC (Turcotte, 2012; Desapriya et al, 2014)
Summary
Despite many safety improvements (e.g., air bags, electronic stability control) in the past decades, motor vehicle collisions (MVC) continue to be a large source of mortality worldwide (World Health Organization, 2013). By the year 2030, 70 million individuals in the U.S.A. will be over age 65 and 90% of them will be licensed to drive Considering that it is well-known that some aspects of normal aging affect driving capacity (e.g., slower reaction time, reduction of visual acuity), pathological aging represents a higher incidence of MVC (Turcotte, 2012; Desapriya et al, 2014). A lack of consensus persists in the available literature regarding whether older drivers are involved in increased numbers of MVC because of factors related to aging, or if the difference might be due to a low driving distance bias (Langford et al, 2008). Low driving distances may mitigate that older drivers may pose to other road users, a large body of literature supports the increased MVC risk for older drivers
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