Medication Use in Older Adult Drivers: AAA LongROAD Study
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Summary
This research brief examines medication usage patterns among older adult drivers, motivated by the known association between certain drug classes—such as antihistamines, narcotic analgesics, and central nervous system (CNS) agents—and increased crash risk. The study aims to quantify the prevalence and types of medications used by this demographic to better understand potential safety implications. The analysis utilized cross-sectional baseline data from the AAA Longitudinal Research on Aging Drivers (LongROAD) study, a multisite prospective cohort involving participants aged 65–79 with valid driver’s licenses and no significant cognitive impairment. Data were collected via a “brown-bag review,” where participants brought their medications to study offices for objective verification. Medication names and dosages were coded using the American Hospital Formulary Service (AHFS) classification system. The final sample included 2,949 drivers who underwent this review, representing 2,990 total enrolled participants. The findings reveal extremely high medication usage, with 97% of participants taking at least one medication and a median of seven medications per person. The distribution was positively skewed, with 25% of participants taking 11 or more medications and one individual taking 51. Cardiovascular drugs were the most frequently reported class (19.0% of all medications), followed by vitamins and CNS agents (15.9% each). In terms of participant prevalence, 73% used cardiovascular drugs, 70% used CNS agents, and 65% used vitamins. Usage varied significantly by demographics; for instance, cardiovascular medication use was higher in males (79%) than females (69%) and increased with age, reaching 81% among those aged 75–79. African-American participants also showed higher rates of cardiovascular drug use compared to white non-Hispanic and Hispanic participants. The study concludes that the high rates of polypharmacy among older drivers are concerning due to associated risks of falls, adverse drug events, and impaired driving. The authors highlight a critical gap in clinical practice, noting that previous studies indicate most older drivers do not receive counseling from healthcare providers regarding the impact of medications on driving ability. Consequently, the brief urges physicians and pharmacists to prescribe cautiously, monitor for drug interactions, and actively counsel patients on potentially impairing side effects. It also recommends that drivers and families maintain updated medication lists and utilize resources like the Roadwise Rx program to assess safety risks.
Key finding
Among 2,949 older drivers completing a brown-bag review in the AAA LongROAD baseline cohort, 96.7% reported taking at least one medication and the median number taken was seven, with cardiovascular, CNS, vitamin, electrolyte, and hormone classes the most common.
Methodology
survey
Sample size: 2990
Provenance
The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_aaa_foundation on 2026-05-23 (7 acquisition events logged).
| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | author_sweep | — | — | 3 | 2026-05-28 |
| archive | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
| clean | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| chunk | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| embed | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-02 |
| enrich | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 19 | 2026-06-11 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.
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- Empirical Findings: observational prevalence