US Pharm. 2008;33(1):73.

A study reported in the Journal of Gerontology showed that drivers age 70 and older might benefit from a driver's-education program. "Older drivers who received classroom and on-road training significantly improved their performance on road tests and written tests compared to controls who did not receive this testing," said study chief Dr. Richard A. Marottoli of Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven.

The study compared a group of drivers age 70 and older with poor or fair performance on driving tests and no intervention with a group that had eight hours of classroom driver's ed (based in part on the AAA Driver Improvement Program) plus two hours of behind-the-wheel training. Dr. Marottoli and colleagues found that the group that had the training saw a level of improvement equal to a 9.5% decrease in crash risk.

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