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A Traffic Sign Recognition Test Can Discriminate Between Older Drivers Who Have and Have Not Had a Motor Vehicle Crash
Author(s) -
MacGregor Jan M.,
Freeman Daniel H.,
Zhang Dong
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1046/j.1532-5415.2001.49095.x
Subject(s) - medicine , crash , odds ratio , confidence interval , injury prevention , poison control , multivariate analysis , logistic regression , odds , test (biology) , medical emergency , computer science , paleontology , biology , programming language
OBJECTIVES: To determine whether a Traffic Sign Recognition Test (TSRT) can identify older drivers who recently had a motor vehicle crash (MVC). DESIGN: Retrospective, matched, case‐control study. SETTING: Licensed drivers in Galveston, Texas. PARTICIPANTS: 60 crash and 60 control subjects matched for age and gender. Cases were identified from accident records. Controls were selected from a randomized list of licensed drivers in Galveston. MEASUREMENTS: Folstein Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the TSRT. RESULTS: A TSRT significantly distinguished between case and control groups ( P = .01). The MMSE did not ( P = .61). A TSRT predicted MVC in a multivariate analysis controlling for education, MMSE score, race/ethnicity, and mileage driven/year (odds ratio = 0.88, 95% confidence interval = 0.77–1.00). CONCLUSION: A TSRT successfully identifies older drivers with a recent MVC, but the test lacks sensitivity and specificity. A prospective study is needed to further delineate the TSRT's usefulness in predicting crash risk in older drivers.