Injury Prevention Strategies for Older Drivers

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Michigan Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (Project) (MIFACE)
• Description:
  A 69-year old male semi-truck driver was killed while driving a tractor-trailer with a double tank on an interstate highway. Near an exit ramp, the tractor-trailer drove off of the roadway to the right and tried to re-enter. The vehicle's right side tires entered the gravel shoulder; the vehicle began to rotate in a counter clockwise direction and struck a guardrail. From 2001-2004, 42 work-related fatal transportation incidents occurred in Michigan. Of these 42 deaths, ten (10) individuals (24%) who died were 60 years of age or older. Older drivers are more susceptible to injury, particularly chest injuries. To reduce the risk, implement the guidelines below. Employers should: 1. Assign a key member of the management team responsibility and authority to set and enforce comprehensive driver safety policy. 2. Teach drivers how to recognize and manage fatigue and in-vehicle distractions. 3. Restrict driving based on assessment of actual driving ability - not solely on general health status or an arbitrary age limit. Employees should: 1. Wear a seat belt. 2. Leave plenty of time to reach destination. 3. Ensure they are well rested. Take regular rest breaks. 4. Do Not use a cell phone when driving. 5. Plan the route, especially if traveling in an unfamiliar area. 6. Use Caution at intersections and interchanges, especlally when making left hand turns. 7. Participate in "refresher" driver training. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Age Factors Aging Automobiles Fatigue Occupational Health Safety Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Accident-analysis Accident-potential Accident-prevention Age-factors Age-groups Drivers Injuries Injury-prevention Motor-vehicles Safety-belts Training Traumatic-injuries

  More +
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Publisher:
  Michigan State University
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20041100
• Citation:
  East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University, Department of Medicine, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, HA#7, 2006 Jan; :1
• Email:
  debra.chester@ht.msu.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2006
• Performing Organization:
  Michigan State Department of Labor and Economic Growth
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20040901
• Source Full Name:
  Injury prevention strategies for older drivers
• End Date:
  20070831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:bc9e09469b9eb1548d97a523ca3a6ace661e671dec3609d51b75560e3f3cca07622af25b8847e21527d5a73af77a271211164d732e303b7bf72ddb254d04be06
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/228663/cdc_228663_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 266.81 KB ]