Potentially driver-impairing health conditions and typical fatal crash circumstances among older drivers. Epidemiological national register-based study in Sweden

An underlying driver-impairing condition can be detected in remarkably many instances of fatal crashes typical for older drivers; those triggered by either an erroneous maneuver or an acute disease. The latter is more readily discernible in the medications they are prescribed than in their relatively recent hospital care history. In both scenarios, a current cardiovascular condition features prominently, either as a past-year treated condition or an ongoing targeted pharmaceutical treatment. A few additional ones are also detectable which prevalence and rank are trigger specific. These findings underscore the importance of individualized medication reviews and, where appropriate, deprescribing, alongside the responsibilities of both drivers and health care providers.