In 2022, there were 47,667,706 licensed drivers age 65 or older in the U.S. That's a 68% increase since 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Every day, around 540 are injured and 20 are killed in auto accidents.  

There are a lot of reasons why accidents happen when older people are driving, from slowed reaction times to visual impairment and medical emergencies. But there's a solvable one that researchers recently identified: taking certain medications.

Their study published in JAMA Network Open followed 198 cognitively healthy adults ages 65 and older for 10 years. It revealed that those taking antidepressants such as serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, sedatives, or hypnotics (such as Ambien), NSAIDs such as ibuprofen (Advil) or diclofenac (Voltaren), and acetaminophen were more likely to do poorly on or fail a road test than folks who didn't use those medications.

Anticholinergics (used to treat COPD and overactive bladder, for example) and antihistamines didn't increase the risk of failure.

What about those who were taking a drug to lower their LDL cholesterol levels? They did better on the road test than the people taking none of the meds.

It's tough to give up driving, but risking a traffic accident in which you injure another person or yourself is far worse than having to use private and public/government transportation services. You can access a driving assessment through city/state offices on aging, Veterans Affairs, or your state's department of motor vehicles.