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Researchers in Christchurch who have developed a device that helps doctors determine whether senior motorists should continue as licensed drivers have won this year's Transport Research and Education Trust Board award.
The invention by Van der Veer Institute researchers allows general medical practitioners to quickly and objectively gauge whether older drivers should be referred to Land Transport New Zealand for further assessment.
Rob Lester, trustee of the AA Driver Education Foundation Board, says: "The foundation is concerned for the safety of older drivers and is aware that recent legislative changes removed the mandatory testing of older drivers. Most older drivers sailed through the practical test, though this was a stressful experience for many.
"Under the new rules doctors of older drivers have to screen their patients' fitness to drive.
"Doctors ... will not want to remove the right to drive from their own patients without good reason.
"To make these decisions, doctors need a reliable assessment tool they can use to screen their patients' sensory-motor and cognitive abilities to predict fitness to drive."
