Driving of the personal vehicle is the primary and preferred mode of travel for older adults in the U.S. More than fulfilling the critically important a??getting arounda?? or mobility function, driving in older adults profoundly impacts health status and thus has direct public health relevance. Being a driver has been linked to increased quality of life, reduced likelihood of depression and social isolation, and increased accessibility to healthcare. Therefore policies defining the vision standards for licensure as applied to the elderly population must be rational, i.e. evidence-based. In this presentation I will summarize the results of a population based study of older drivers a?￥ 70 years old (N = 2,000) that addresses two questions: (1) What is the association between impairment in visual functions at baseline and incident motor vehicle collision rates three years later? (2) What is the sensitivity and specificity of alternative vision screening tests in older drivers for identifying those who have one or more collisions in the subsequent three years?
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