AAMVA is working to reduce crashes and fatalities caused by at-risk drivers. The at-risk driver population may include new drivers, older drivers, drivers affected by alcohol, narcotics, medications or functional impairments, and serious traffic offenders. Some of our activities are focused on screening and assessment and medical review to ensure each driver’s overall fitness to drive.
AAMVA’s at-risk driver programs and activities are conducted in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, and numerous other safety advocates.
AAMVA, NHTSA Produce First Evidence-based Medical Guidelines for Driver Assessment
The Driver Fitness Medical Guidelines are now available for download here. The guidelines were a collaborative effort between the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and AAMVA to create the first evidence-based recommendations for motor vehicle agencies (MVAs) to use when assessing medical conditions that may affect a driver’s ability to operate a car safely. AAMVA’s Driver Fitness Working Group (DFWG) was composed of jurisdictional representatives and served as the advisory body for creating these standards and guidelines for making licensing decisions on medically at-risk drivers. The conditions researched were vision, physical impairments, and medical conditions that included diabetes, dementia, seizures, and sleep disorders. The guidelines make recommendations to the MVAs for medically at-risk drivers, and for clinicians, and other health care professionals who must evaluate driver medical fitness, as well as recommendations to drivers that may have at-risk medical conditions. The guidelines include a model medical reporting form that can be adapted according to a jurisdiction’s needs. These medical guidelines are based upon research and a best practices approach toward determining whether an individual is capable of driving safely and were developed to assist MVAs in improving public safety on the nation’s highways.