Having depression could make you more of a liability on the road as you age, according to a new study.
Researchers from Washington University studied nearly 400 people 65 years and older for a year and found those with major depressive disorder were riskier drivers than those without the condition.
The participants with depression were more likely than those without to drive unpredictably, brake abruptly and take corners too quickly, all of which raise the risk of car accidents.
Approximately eight percent of American adults had major depressive disorder as of 2021 – representing about 21million people.
It’s unclear how many of those are elderly people, but the study authors wrote, late-onset depression in elderly people often goes undiagnosed, so it could be quite common in this age group.
Doctors have known for a long time that older adults tend to get in more car crashes than younger adults – and have suggested that medication, dementia or mood disorders like depression could be behind the trend.
Researchers posit depression in older people makes them more likely to be reckless drivers because of the disorder’s effects on concentration and reflexes.
Here, they suggest depression could be a contributor, and say early diagnosis of the condition in elderly people could make the road safer for everyone.
The number of Americans over 65 is projected to reach 88million by 2050. This in turn means the amount of drivers over 65, who are at a higher risk of accidents than younger people, will increase
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In 2022, approximately 42,514 Americans died in motor vehicle crashes, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Of those, about 5,626 people who passed were above age 70.
As quality of life improves for older people and the average life span bumps older and older, the number of people over 65 in the US is expected to grow – reaching 88million by 2050.
That means that by that year, about one quarter of all people on the road will be above age 65.
Even without depression, many elderly people see their reflexes start to decline, and begin seeing some levels of cognitive changes that may make it harder to focus while driving.
But these symptoms may become more pronounced with depression. In MDD, people’s symptoms may interfere with their driving abilities.
For example, many people with MDD may struggle to concentrate, according to Mayo Clinic, which might make driving more difficult.
In other cases, people with the condition literally have slowed bodily movement and thinking, which can make it difficult to mount reflexes needed to react to things on the road.
An older study conducted by this research group found people over 65 with MDD were three times more likely to fail a driving test than people without the condition.
The research was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open.
Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine followed a sample of 395 participants around age 70, for between a year and two years.
Of those, 85 had been diagnosed with major depressive disorder, but were otherwise mentally healthy.
The researchers outfitted each participant’s car with a special piece of hardware that monitored their driving habits from the time they turned the car on to the time they turned it off.
It measured things like speed, as well trips taken at night, the harshness of braking, and the velocity that people took turns at. By combining all of these factors, professionals may be able to assess someone’s driving skills, long before they’re in an accident.
At the conclusion of the study, the researchers found people with MDD were more likely to speed, take corners at a quicker speed and break more harshly than people without the condition.
They also found a number of factors that led them to conclude that people with the condition drove more erratically overall.
The researchers said: ‘Participants with MDD were associated with more risky driving behaviors over time and compared with the control group.’
Driving at night, driving on unfamiliar roads and driving during inclement weather can all increase the likelihood of getting into an accident
These patterns remained significant even after the researchers controlled for other factors that could’ve influenced driving behavior, like medication use.
There are no laws that prohibit someone from driving after a certain age in the US. However, in some states, drivers over age 65 may have to renew their license more frequently than in others.
The researchers suggest that older people, especially those with MDD, might benefit from taking extra precautions when driving.
This includes avoiding driving at night or during inclement weather, and making sure to take familiar routes to your destinations.
Aside from general recommendations, the scientists recommended building out better screening for older drivers so that they and their loved ones might be better aware of their risks.
They said: ‘Regular screening for depression and cognitive impairments in older drivers, coupled with assessing driving fitness and tailored driving safety programs and support systems, can help enhance road safety and maintain the independence of older adults.’
