Dr. Richard Sims

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Dr. Richard SimsA number of UAB researchers are working to improve testing procedures used to determine whether older adults can function safely behind the wheel of an automobile.

"At this point, our research is focusing on several tests that are probably a level above the standard visual acuity and peripheral vision tests that one gets at the Department of Motor Vehicles," says Richard Sims, M.D., of the UAB Center for Aging and VA Medical Center.
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A downloadable audio file of Dr. Sims' article is also available.

"Because older drivers with impairments in visual attention experience more motor vehicle crashes, efforts to improve SOP may result in lower crash rates among these individuals," said lead author, Richard Sims, MD, associate professor of medicine and chief of the Geriatrics Section at the VA Medical Center.

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Dr. Richard SimsTaking away an aging family member's driving privileges is a decision fraught with emotion and misgivings, says Richard Sims, M.D., a researcher with the UAB Center for Aging and VA Medical Center, who studies driver safety among older adults.

"This question comes up frequently, as you can imagine," says Sims.
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Most older drivers are safe, according to Sims.But many others fall into an "in-between" category, in which it's not immediately clear if they should be on the road.

"These are the individuals who should be evaluated," says Sims.
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A downloadable audio file of Dr. Sims' article is also available.

Listen to Dr. Sims' discussion: >
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Dr. Richard SimsAlabama's testing procedure for driver safety is "probably not adequate" to screen for declining skills among older motorists, says Richard Sims, M.D., UAB Center for Aging expert.But getting more at-risk drivers off the road would have a severe impact on their personal independence in a state largely lacking alternative public transportation.

"At this point," says Sims, a geriatrician at UAB and the VA Medical Center, "research is focusing on several tests that are probably another level above the standard visual acuity and peripheral vision tests that one gets at the Department of Motor Vehicles.
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As for the future of public transportation in Alabama, Sims says:

"I think there's some awareness on the part of our political leaders that this is something that needs to be fixed.So in that regard, at least, we're making some progress."

A downloadable audio file of Dr. Sims' article is also available.

"Because older drivers with impairments in visual attention experience more motor vehicle crashes, efforts to improve speed of processing may result in lower crash rates among these individuals," said lead author, Dr. Richard Sims, associate professor of medicine and chief of the geriatrics section at the center.

Richard Sims, MD* Birmingham VA Medical Center