The following is an excerpt of an article that appeared in the Winter 2006 issue of MOVE magazine. To order a back copy of this issue or to subscribe contact AAMVA at (703) 522-4200.
By Carl A. Soderstrom, M.D. and David Hugel, J.D.
Let’s take you back to April 14, 1948—the minutes from the Maryland DMV’s (now known as the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration) Medical Advisory Board (MAB) meeting noted that the “Board expressed its concern at the inadequate methods now available to study the effect of physical and mental illness upon the frequency of occurrence of accidents and the complete absence of any method to properly evaluate the effect of such impairments upon the incidence of accidents.”
Until recently, those concerns, voiced almost six decades ago about “this motor car age,” received little attention nationally. When the concern was voiced in the 1948 meeting, there were far fewer drivers on the road, and there was little anxiety about aggressive driving, road rage and multi-tasking while driving (i.e., eating, using cell phones). And, most notably, we didn’t face a growing population of elderly drivers. In light of several recent events, medical fitness to drive has captured the nation’s attention.
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As our driving population ages, comprehensive and consistent medical standards are necessary to ensure highway safety.
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