Prevention and Assessment

GOAL

Promote driver fitness, early recognition of at-risk drivers, and aging road user mobility through prevention and intervention resources .

COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

The Prevention and Assessment team is supported by professionals from organizations including AAA, CarlinRogers Consulting, FLHSMV, Florida Occupational Therapy Association, FSU College of Medicine, FSU Pepper Institute, and UF .

A major focus for the team is at-risk drivers . Their plan looks to increase access to early detection, assessment, remediation, and rehabilitation as well as increase the ability of clinicians and the medical community to recognize and report these drivers . In addition, the team will be working to educate both aging road users and health care professionals on how aging affects driving and how to improve safe driving skills .

Key Accomplishments:

Florida Healthcare Practitioner Toolkit

In July 2021, the Prevention and Assessment team launched a Practitioner Toolkit for health care providers . A pilot mailing was sent to 151 providers who had previously interacted with the Coalition . The mailing included a letter signed by the Executive Director of the FLHSMV and the Secretary of FDOT, and a pre-paid postage order form for practitioners to request educational materials to help their patients with safe driving and transportation needs . Since the pilot mailing in July, 29 Florida Healthcare Practitioner Toolkits have been distributed statewide .

Dementia Friendly Transit Tip Card

In collaboration with Florida DOEA’s Dementia Care & Cure Initiative (DCCI) and FSU’s College of Medicine’s Resources & Education for Aging Communities & Health (REACH) program, a new resource was developed to help public transit drivers better serve passengers with memory loss or dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease . The Serving People with Memory Loss tip card will be distributed to transit agencies and aging service providers across the state to help promote dementia-friendly transportation options in Florida .

In-Vehicle Technology Webpage

The team developed the Safe Mobility for Life’s In-Vehicle Technology webpage as a quickreference guide on common vehicle technologies that have the potential to reduce crashes and extend safe driving abilities among Florida’s aging population . The webpage helps to educate on how these safety features work, how to use them properly, and how they can increase safety and comfort behind the wheel .

CarFit

To maintain engagement and continue to provide valuable education during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Coalition was invited to take part in the development and piloting of the CarFit Virtual Workshop . This new online learning opportunity aims to educate drivers on how they can improve their fit in their personal vehicles from the comfort of home using a self-assessment checklist of key safety features and how this may keep them safer on the road . To date, the Coalition has hosted 18 virtual events with over 400 attendees . For more information or to find an event near you, visit the Coalition’s CarFit webpage .