EMERYVILLE, Calif. – More than 80 percent of drivers age 65 and older regularly take medications, yet only half have talked to a medical professional about possible safety issues related to driving.

With 10,000 Americans turning 65 every day, AAA Northern California strongly urges seniors to understand how medications may affect their ability to drive safely.

By using Roadwise Rx, an online tool, seniors can access personalized information on how their medications can impact their safety behind the wheel.  

Developed by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Roadwise Rx details common side effects of prescription and over-the-counter medications.

The tool generates personalized feedback on how medications, herbal supplements and foods, interact with each other, causing potential risk for drivers.

Seniors are encouraged to discuss the confidential results with their doctor or pharmacist to learn how to mitigate possible crash risks.

“Earlier research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that nearly one out of five older drivers use five or more prescription medications,” said AAA Northern California spokesperson Cynthia Harris. “With medical conditions typically on the rise as people age, and treatment often dependent on medicinal interventions, there was a critical need to develop a tool to help older drivers understand the safety risk.”

Roadwise Rx is not a substitute for professional medical advice, but it is the only tool of its kind that looks at medications and associated driving hazards.

A recent AAA survey found that women (58 percent) are more likely than men (46 percent) to seek counsel on the risks of driving while on medication, yet this is an issue that all older drivers and their families need to address.

Roadwise Rx lets users more easily pool together their pill bottles' information and talk to their doctor.

Due to chronic medical conditions, older adults often must take multiple medications. Certain types of medications, like antidepressants, have been shown to increase crash risk by up to 41 percent.

Ingredients like Diphenhydramine, commonly found in over-the-counter cold and allergy medicines, can have the same effect on driving as being above the legal limit for blood alcohol concentration.   

It is estimated that by 2020, just eight years from now, nearly one in six people will be age 65 or older and most of them will still be licensed to drive.

Roadwise Rx is available, at no cost, to all seniors and their families at www.SeniorDriving.AAA.com .