title: Age-based testing for driver's license renewal: potential implications for older Australians.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of age-based testing (ABT) for driver's license renewal policies on older Australians.
  
  
  METHODS
  Secondary data analysis of a pooled dataset.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community-based samples drawn from three Australian states.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five thousand two hundred six adults aged 65 to 103 from the Dynamic Analyses to Optimise Ageing (DYNOPTA) project.
  
  
  METHODS
  Self-reported driving status, age-based testing (ABT) for driver's license renewal status, demographics, medical conditions, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and visual acuity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After accounting for significant demographic and health covariates, logistic regression analyses revealed that older adults required to undergo ABT were between 2.2 (95% confidence interval (CI)=1.35-3.57, P=.001) and 1.5 (95% CI=1.18-1.92, P=.001) times as likely to report not driving. Similar proportions of drivers with cognitive or visual impairments were found regardless of ABT status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Required ABT for license renewal was associated with lower rates of driving. The proportion of drivers with probable cognitive or visual impairments was similar in those who had ABT and those who did not. Future investigation of the effect of current ABT policies on crash rates and the potential to use other scientifically designed ABT strategies is therefore needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Roybal Center for Translational Research on Aging and Mobility, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA. LesleyARoss@gmail.com
authors.forename: Lesley A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: Colette
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Browning
authors.forename: Mary A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Luszcz
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Kaarin J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Anstey
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001315:Australia; D001333:Automobile Driver Examination / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors