Countermeasures

Countermeasures to improve older driver safety are listed in the table below. The table is intended to provide a rough estimate of each countermeasure’s effectiveness, use, cost, and time required for implementation. Effectiveness is shown using a five-star rating system.

• Countermeasures that receive  or  have been determined to be effective.
• Countermeasures that receive  are considered promising, and likely to be effective.
• Countermeasures that receive ✩ or ✩✩ have NOT been determined to be effective, either because there has been limited or no high-quality evidence (✩) or because effectiveness is still undetermined based on the available evidence (✩✩).

States, communities, and other organizations are encouraged to use , and especially  or , countermeasures. They should use caution in selecting ✩ or ✩✩ countermeasures, since conclusive evidence is not available to demonstrate the effectiveness of these countermeasures. If they decide to use a new or emerging countermeasure that has not yet been studied sufficiently to demonstrate that the countermeasure is effective, they are encouraged to have the countermeasure evaluated in connection with its use.

Further details about the symbols and terms used are included after the table. Effectiveness, cost, and time to implement can vary substantially from State to State and community to community. Costs for many countermeasures are difficult to measure, so the summary terms are very approximate.

Each countermeasure to improve older driver safety is discussed individually in this chapter. Full descriptions are included for ,  and  countermeasures. Brief descriptions are included for ✩ and ✩✩ countermeasures. Further details about the ✩ and ✩✩ countermeasures are included in Appendix A7 to this report.

 

1. Communications and Outreach

Countermeasure	Effectiveness	Cost	Use	Time
1.1 Formal Courses for Older Drivers	✩✩	$	Low	Short
1.2 General Communications and Education	✩	$	Unknown	Short

 

2. Licensing

Countermeasure	Effectiveness	Cost	Use	Time
2.1 License Screening and Testing	†	$$	High	Medium
2.2 Referring Older Drivers to Licensing Agencies	††	$$	Low	Medium
2.3 License Restrictions		$	Low	Short
2.4 Medical Advisory Boards	✩†††	Varies	High	Medium
2.5 License Renewal Policies: In-Person Renewal, Vision Test	✩✩	$$$	Medium	Medium

†Proven for identifying drivers whose driving should be limited license points.
††Proven for increasing physician referrals license points.
†††Quality varies considerably license points.
 

3. Traffic Law Enforcement

Countermeasure	Effectiveness	Cost	Use	Time
3.1 Law Enforcement Roles		Varies	Medium	Varies

 

Effectiveness:
			Demonstrated to be effective by several high-quality evaluations with consistent results
			Demonstrated to be effective in certain situations
			Likely to be effective based on balance of evidence from high-quality evaluations or other sources
✩✩			Effectiveness still undetermined; different methods of implementing this countermeasure produce different results
✩			Limited or no high-quality evaluation evidence
Effectiveness is measured by reductions in crashes or injuries unless noted otherwise.   See individual countermeasure descriptions for information on effectiveness size and how effectiveness is measured.
Cost to implement:
$$$	Requires extensive new facilities, staff, equipment, or publicity, or makes heavy demands on current resources
$$	Requires some additional staff time, equipment, facilities, and/or publicity
$	Can be implemented with current staff, perhaps with training; limited costs for equipment or facilities
These estimates do not include the costs of enacting legislation or establishing policies.
Use:
High		More than two-thirds of the States, or a substantial majority of communities
Medium		One-third to two-thirds of States or communities
Low		Less than one-third of the States or communities
Unknown		Data not available
Time to implement:
Long		More than 1 year
Medium		More than 3 months but less than 1 year
Short		3 months or less
These estimates do not include the time required to enact legislation or establish policies.

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