Vehicle safety for older drivers and passengers
Background
Many older people experience difficulties achieving good seatbelt fitment and comfort in vehicles. The use of comfort accessories like cushions and pads is relatively common among older people travelling in vehicles. Research has shown that some of these accessories can have a detrimental effect on safety in a crash. Medical practitioners, allied health and road safety professionals are ideally placed to provide advice to older people about how to redress these issues and how to safely achieve comfort in vehicles. The ‘Vehicle Safety for Older Drivers’ project was initiated to develop evidence-based guidelines for tailoring advice about safe and comfortable travel in vehicles as a tool for use by these practitioners.
Older people also need to be able to access guidance about comfort and safety in vehicles although may not need the same level of detail. For this reason, simple informative material targeting older people to raise awareness of safety issues in vehicles, and to allow for informed decision making has also been developed. This resource has been developed as an adjunct to existing resources that may already be used by older people relating to vehicle use and ageing.
Aim
The purpose of this document is to provide evidence-based guidance for occupational therapists, medical practitioners, physiotherapists, and road safety professionals who may be advising older people about travel in vehicles.
Research Methodology
The guidelines presented in this document were developed using a multidisciplinary expert panel, and a modified Delphi consensus method through which the panel were asked to review existing evidence through the lens of their expertise. Consensus statements on challenges faced by older people in vehicles, and best-practice advice for addressing these were then generated and refined through this Delphi process. This process also identified areas where further evidence is required.
The Delphi process comprised of three rounds. Participants were asked to independently rank statements using a 5-point Likert scale. A free-text response was available to participants within each survey domain, providing the opportunity to elaborate and explain responses. Controlled feedback was provided to the expert Delphi panel between rounds. Consensus was defined as ≥ 75% of panel participants agreeing/strongly agreeing with a statement. Therefore, consensus did not mean 100% of the panel agreed to a statement.
The guidelines were reviewed by Occupational Therapy Australia and the OTA National Driving Taskforce and provided to other stakeholders who reviewed and provided comment on draft versions of the guidelines.
