Vision standards for licensing and driving

Vision and driving: the United States

Minimal visual standards for obtaining driving licensure in the United States principally use 2 measures: visual acuity and visual field. Although research studies have established a correlation between performance on these measures and safe driving, the correlations are weak and mostly retrospective. These measures remain in place in screening centers largely because they (especially visual acuity) are practical. A newer test of visual attention, called the useful field of view, may be more predictive of safe driving than the traditional measures, but it has not been widely applied in licensing bureaus.

Visual and medical risk factors for motor vehicle collision involvement among older drivers

AIMS

To identify visual and medical risk factors for motor vehicle collisions (MVCs).

METHODS

Data from four cohorts of older drivers from three states were pooled (n = 3158). Health information was collected at baseline, and MVC data were obtained prospectively. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate rate ratios (RRs) and 95% CIs for associations between medical characteristics and MVCs.

RESULTS

A total of 363 MVCs were observed during the study period (1990-1997), of which 145 were at fault, and 62 were injurious. Falls and impaired useful field of view (UFOV) were positively associated with overall MVCs. At-fault MVCs were also positively associated with falls and UFOV impairment, and inversely with cancer. Injurious MVCs were positively associated with arthritis and neurological disease, and inversely with hypertension.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings show similarities and differences across the risk factors for all, at-fault and injurious MVCs, and point to the need for verification and possible interventions.