Ottawa - The Élisabeth Bruyère Research Institute is hosting the 2nd Biennial CanDRIVE Scientific Meeting this Friday and Saturday January 21 and 22 in Ottawa. This event will be held at the Élisabeth Bruyère Research Institute at 43 Bruyère St.

CanDRIVE is a national research program working to extend the safe driving period as Canada's population ages. The two-day meeting will bring together 70 researchers and representatives from government agencies, key decision makers, seniors groups and other stakeholders to address the issue of "Keeping Safe Older Drivers Driving". The meeting will provide opportunities to present and hear about current research in Canada and the United States, and learn about new initiatives.

"Maximizing the road safety for seniors is a very important issue for all Canadians as driving is a key aspect of keeping older persons healthy, independent and safe." says Dr. Malcolm Man-Son-Hing, Principal Investigator of CanDRIVE.

The main goal of CanDRIVE is to investigate the health related issues pertaining to the safe operation of motor vehicles. CanDRIVE researchers are working to extend the safe driving period as Canada's population ages.

"It is essential that health condition and not age be the determinant regarding older drivers staying on the road. Therefore, CanDRIVE's lead in bringing researchers and stakeholders together to develop effective tools for appropriately measuring seniors' capacity to drive will go a long way. It is time to eradicate the ageism that rears its ugly head every time an older driver has an accident. Every senior in the country tends to be blamed for each individual accident" Judy Cutler, Co-Director of Government/Media Relations, Canadian Association of the 50 Plus (CARP).

This meeting is supported by the Canadian Institute of Health Research, Institute of Aging. The media are invited to cover the meeting.

CanDRIVE, an interdisciplinary national research program, is funded, in part, by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Ontario Neurotrama Foundation, AUTO21 and the Élisabeth Bruyère Research Institute.

For more information, please contact
Cassandra Crowder, CanDRIVE Program Manager
Tel: (613) 562-4262 ext. 1345 or Cell: (613) 293-2523