Courtesy of Susan Hindman

We love our cars, and as we age in place, being in charge of our own transportation keeps us independent and happy. But a new study indicates that we’re not always taking responsibility for our driving clarity.

The study, released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, surveyed 630 adults ages 55 to 93 who are on medication and asked about their awareness of the medication’s potential impact on their driving. Ninety-five percent of respondents have one or more medical conditions, and 78% use one or more medications. Sixty-nine percent use one or more prescription meds that are potentially driver impairing, and 10% currently use five or more of these prescription meds.

Yet only 28% indicated some awareness of the potential impact on driving performance associated with those medications. Only 18% said they had received a warning from a health care professional that the medications might impair driving, no matter how many medications the person was taking. The study notes that previous research indicates that use of just one impairment-causing medication increases the risk of being in a crash.

Sixty percent of respondents said they drove six or seven days a week.

“One of our goals is to help older drivers stay mobile as long as safely possible, so it is imperative that we do a better job of educating drivers on known risks, such as the side effects of medications,” said AAA Foundation President and CEO Peter Kissinger. He added that health care professionals need to better educate their patients.

Driving is a fast-paced activity that involves quick decision making. “A typical driver makes 20 decisions per mile, with less than half a second to act to avoid an accident,” according to AAA’s Web site.

The complete report can be found at the AAA Foundation Web site.