Association between road vehicle collisions and recent medical contact in older drivers: a case-crossover study.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the association between past medical contacts and the risk of vehicle collision in a population of older drivers from the province of Quebec, Canada.


METHODS
Case-crossover study.


METHODS
Quebec.


METHODS
111 699 older drivers involved in at least one vehicle collision between January 1988 and December 2000.


METHODS
For each driver, the risk of having a vehicle collision while exposed and not exposed to a medical contact was compared. Separate conditional logistic regression analyses were conducted for all drivers and in four diagnostic-specific subgroups.


RESULTS
The study found a weak but statistically significant increased risk of all collisions being associated with a medical contact within 1 month before the collision, for all drivers (OR=1.10, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.11) and for drivers with diabetes (OR=1.07, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.11).


CONCLUSIONS
Older drivers who have a collision are more likely to have been in contact with a physician shortly before the collision. These findings suggest that there might be an opportunity to detect medical conditions that put older drivers at higher risk of collision; however, further research is needed to assess the potential effectiveness and practical modalities of screening.
INSERM, U593, Equipe Avenir Santé et Insécurité Routière, ISPED, Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, Bordeaux, F-33000, France.
Sandy
S
Leproust
Emmanuel
E
Lagarde
Samy
S
Suissa
L Rachid
LR
Salmi
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011792:Quebec; D013997:Time Factors