Volume 197 - Issue 11
Warnings cut road trauma, but at a cost
Author: Paul Gerber
Med J Aust 2012; 197 (11): 622. || doi: 10.5694/mja12.11574
Published online: 10 December 2012
Published online: 10 December 2012
As the debate about older drivers continues, an observant reader notes another danger for car occupants lurking in an MJA illustration.
To the Editor: A news article in the 15 October issue of the Journal highlighted the contentious issue of doctors warning older patients that their driving skills may be impaired and the cost of such medical warnings1 — matters that had been raised in the New England Journal of Medicine2 and the BMJ.3
The news article noted that a viewpoint in the BMJ had claimed that “evidence does not support the medical screening of older drivers”, and added that, contrary to popular belief, “older drivers had an enviable crash record”. Alas, accompanying the news item is a photograph of a man of indeterminate age sitting behind the steering wheel of a motor vehicle with his elbow resting outside the driver’s door. This is not only a criminal offence subject to a monetary fine (see, for example, the Transport Operations [Road Use Management — Road Rules] Regulation 2009 [Qld]) but constitutes contributory negligence at common law. Were this driver involved in a collision in which his arm was injured, his claim for damages would be reduced accordingly even if the collision was solely due to the negligence of the other driver.
Competing interests
I am an 88-year-old driver.
References
- Overs M. Warnings cut road trauma, but at a cost [news]. Med J Aust 2012; 197: 435. 0_i1142859
- Redelmeier DA, Yarnell CJ, Thiruchelvam D, Tibshirani RJ. Physicians’ warnings for unfit drivers and the risk of trauma from road crashes. N Engl J Med 2012; 367: 1228-1236. 0_i1142861
- O’Neill D. Medical screening of older drivers is not evidence based. BMJ 2012; 345: e6371. 0_i1142864