TY - JOUR
T1 - Characterization of drug and alcohol use among senior drivers fatally injured in U.S. motor vehicle collisions, 2008–2012
AU - Rudisill, Toni M.
AU - Zhu, Motao
AU - Abate, Marie
AU - Davidov, Danielle
AU - Delagarza, Vincent
AU - Long, D. Leann
AU - Sambamoorthi, Usha
AU - Thornton, J. Doug
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2016/11/16
Y1 - 2016/11/16
N2 - Objective: Adults 65 years of age and older comprise the fastest growing demographic in the United States. As substance use is projected to increase in this population, there is concern that more seniors will drive under the influence of impairing drugs. The purpose of this analysis was to characterize the drug and alcohol usage among senior drivers fatally injured (FI) in traffic collisions. Methods: Data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System were analyzed from 2008 to 2012. Commonly used classes and specific drugs were explored. Rates of drug use, multiple drugs, concomitant drug and alcohol use, and alcohol use alone were generated using Poisson regression with robust error variance estimation. Rates were compared to a reference population of FI middle-aged drivers (30 to 50 years old) using rate ratios. Results: Drug use among FI senior drivers occurred in 20.0% of those tested. Among drug-positive FI senior drivers, narcotics and depressants were frequent. The prevalence of testing positive for any drug, multiple drugs, combined drug and alcohol, and alcohol use alone among FI seniors were 47% less (relative risk [RR] = 0.53, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.47, 0.62), 59% less (RR = 0.41, 95% CI, 0.34, 0.51), 87% less (RR = 0.13, 95% CI, 0.09, 0.19), and 77% less (RR = 0.23, 95% CI, 0.19, 0.28), respectively, compared to FI middle-aged drivers. Conclusions: Though overall drug use is less common among FI senior drivers relative to FI middle-aged drivers, driving under the influence of drugs may be a relevant traffic safety concern in a portion of this population.
AB - Objective: Adults 65 years of age and older comprise the fastest growing demographic in the United States. As substance use is projected to increase in this population, there is concern that more seniors will drive under the influence of impairing drugs. The purpose of this analysis was to characterize the drug and alcohol usage among senior drivers fatally injured (FI) in traffic collisions. Methods: Data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System were analyzed from 2008 to 2012. Commonly used classes and specific drugs were explored. Rates of drug use, multiple drugs, concomitant drug and alcohol use, and alcohol use alone were generated using Poisson regression with robust error variance estimation. Rates were compared to a reference population of FI middle-aged drivers (30 to 50 years old) using rate ratios. Results: Drug use among FI senior drivers occurred in 20.0% of those tested. Among drug-positive FI senior drivers, narcotics and depressants were frequent. The prevalence of testing positive for any drug, multiple drugs, combined drug and alcohol, and alcohol use alone among FI seniors were 47% less (relative risk [RR] = 0.53, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.47, 0.62), 59% less (RR = 0.41, 95% CI, 0.34, 0.51), 87% less (RR = 0.13, 95% CI, 0.09, 0.19), and 77% less (RR = 0.23, 95% CI, 0.19, 0.28), respectively, compared to FI middle-aged drivers. Conclusions: Though overall drug use is less common among FI senior drivers relative to FI middle-aged drivers, driving under the influence of drugs may be a relevant traffic safety concern in a portion of this population.
KW - Prescription drugs
KW - aged adults
KW - epidemiology
KW - nonprescription drugs
KW - traffic collisions
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84986197508&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/15389588.2016.1165809
DO - 10.1080/15389588.2016.1165809
M3 - Article
C2 - 27027152
AN - SCOPUS:84986197508
SN - 1538-9588
VL - 17
SP - 788
EP - 795
JO - Traffic Injury Prevention
JF - Traffic Injury Prevention
IS - 8
ER -