A Traffic Sign Recognition Test Can Discriminate Between Older Drivers Who Have and Have Not Had a Motor Vehicle Crash

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether a Traffic Sign Recognition Test (TSRT) can identify older drivers who recently had a motor vehicle crash (MVC). DESIGN: Retrospective, matched, case-control study. SETTING: Licensed drivers in Galveston, Texas. PARTICIPANTS: 60 crash and 60 control subjects matched for age and gender. Cases were identified from accident records. Controls were selected from a randomized list of licensed drivers in Galveston. MEASUREMENTS: Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the TSRT. RESULTS: A TSRT significantly distinguished between case and control groups (P = .01). The MMSE did not (P = .61). A TSRT predicted MVC in a multivariate analysis controlling for education, MMSE score, race/ethnicity, and mileage driven/year (odds ratio = 0.88, 95% confidence interval = 0.77-1.00). CONCLUSION: A TSRT successfully identifies older drivers with a recent MVC, but the test lacks sensitivity and specificity. A prospective study is needed to further delineate the TSRT's usefulness in predicting crash risk in older drivers.