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Risky Driving Behaviors for Older Adults: Differences by Veteran’s Status

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Abstract

Veterans are at an increased risk of being injured or killed in motor vehicle crashes, potentially due to their proclivity to engage in risky driving behaviors. However, most research in this area has focused on driving behaviors of veterans who have recently returned home after deployment. No research has focused on risky driving behaviors of older veterans (aged 65 or older) and if risky driving behaviors extend beyond the time period immediately following return from deployment. The purpose of this research is to determine if differences exist in risky driving behaviors of veterans and non-veterans aged 65 or older. This study used data from the 2011 National Health and Aging Trend Study (NHATS), a nationally representative, longitudinal survey of community-dwelling, Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 or older. Binary logistic regression analyses were conducted in 2017 to determine if veteran’s status was predictive of specific risky driving behaviors. Veteran’s status was found to be predictive of specific driving behaviors for adults aged 65 and older, with non-veterans significantly more likely than veterans to: not currently drive; avoid driving at night; avoid driving alone; avoid driving on busy roads or highways; and avoid driving in bad weather. The results of this study highlight the need to further understand the effects of veteran’s status on risky driving behaviors among older adults, specifically, whether veteran’s status compounds driving-related risks associated with aging-related physical and mental changes.

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Acknowledgements

The National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) is sponsored by the National Institute on Aging (Grant Number NIA U01AG032947) through a cooperative agreement with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The National Institute on Aging had no role in the design and conduct of the current study; management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; and preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health, North Dakota State University, Dept. 2662, PO Box 6050, Fargo, ND, 58108-6050, USA

    Andrea L. Huseth-Zosel

  2. Research Service, Fargo VA Health Care System, 2101 North Elm Street, Fargo, ND, 58102, USA

    Kimberly D. Hammer

Authors
  1. Andrea L. Huseth-Zosel
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  2. Kimberly D. Hammer
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Contributions

ALH-Z conceived of the study design, analyzed the data, assisted in drafting the manuscript, and approved of the final version of the manuscript draft to be published. KDH reviewed the data analysis, assisted in drafting the manuscript, and approved of the final version of the manuscript draft to be published.

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Correspondence to Andrea L. Huseth-Zosel.

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No conflict of interest were reported by the authors of this paper.

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Huseth-Zosel, A.L., Hammer, K.D. Risky Driving Behaviors for Older Adults: Differences by Veteran’s Status. J Community Health 43, 827–832 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-018-0489-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-018-0489-x

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