High risk characteristics for motor vehicle crashes in persons with diabetes by age.

Abstract

Studies highlight a higher involvement of drivers with diabetes in motor vehicle accidents. Extensive debate, though, exists over the most appropriate approach to license these drivers. Risk factors for crashes in persons with diabetes are not well defined. In this report, motor vehicle crash involvement was identified in two cohorts of persons with type 1 diabetes to identify if crash patterns and characteristics differ by age. Overall, reported crashes decline with age in persons with and without diabetes, but the crash risk remained higher for persons with diabetes throughout the age span. No relationship was observed between diabetes complications, blood glucose control, and diabetes treatment patterns and motor vehicle crashes. Severe hypoglycemia, though, was consistently and strongly related to crashes at all ages. The findings suggest that the crash risk related to hypoglycemia does not diminish markedly in persons with Type 1 diabetes, despite changes in health and age. Several reports highlight the involvement of drivers with diabetes in motor vehicle crashes [Charlton, 2004]. Extensive debate exists, though, over the role of diabetes in these crashes and licensing policy differs, worldwide, for these drivers. The natural history of type 1 diabetes (worsening health outcomes over time) indicates that factors influencing crashes in persons with diabetes may change over time. Few reports, though, have examined the factors related to crashes in persons with diabetes by age.