Can You Drive? Victoria Seniors Needed For Driving Study

Victoria is one of six communities across Canada taking part in an international driving study by the Canadian Driving Research Initiative for Vehicular Safety in the Elderly (Candrive). The call for more Victoria drivers comes from Dr. Holly Tuokko, director of University of Victoria’s Centre on Aging.
         “It is critical that local drivers be included in the international study because driver experiences on Vancouver Island are unique,” said Tuokko.
         In 2008, Candrive was awarded a $5.5 million Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) grant to conduct the five-year study of older drivers. The Ottawa doctors who lead Candrive, Drs. Shawn Marshall and Malcolm Man-Son-Hing, reject age-based driving restrictions. The doctors believe it is not a person’s age but medical symptoms and conditions that can affect a driver’s physical and cognitive abilities. Recently, Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, joined the project.
         Anyone over the age of 70 (who owns a 1996 or newer vehicle and drives at least four times a week) who is interested in participating in the study can visit the Candrive website at www.candrive.ca or call 250-472-5504 or toll free 1-866-233-1133.
 

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