ILLNESS AND CRASHES - IS THERE A RELATIONSHIP

Except in the instances of alcohol intoxication and, possibly, heart disease and epilepsy, the data are meager regarding the effects of acute illness and chronic impairments as factors in motor vehicle crashes. Based on past studies and current statistics, it is estimated that each year in the US perhaps 1,700 injury-producing crashes and as many as 1,500 fatalities may be due to drivers' illnesses or medical conditions other than alcohol intoxication. The designs and descriptions of most studies of this subject do not inspire confidence in their results from an epidemiologic and scientific viewpoint. Physicians should be knowledgeable about the major issues involving highway safety and about the medical qualifications their patients need to drive different types of vehicles within their home states and in interstate commerce.