| This dissertation presents a decision-making model that will aid the psychologist in weighing the ethical, legal, and moral implications of intervening with cognitively impaired drivers. When confronted with a cognitively impaired motor vehicle operator, psychologists are confronted with the dilemma of either restricting a person's freedom to drive or releasing the person into society as a potentially dangerous individual. Psychologists who fail to report a cognitively impaired driver prior to a driving accident may be subject to civil litigation. On the other hand, the psychologist who breeches confidentiality by reporting a potentially impaired driver to a medical advisory board or Department of Motor Vehicles may be liable for negligence of confidentiality statutes. Recommendations are offered for psychologists treating cognitively impaired clients including focusing on client education, increasing awareness of potential client resistance or incapacity to recognize impairment, and proactive intervention strategies that utilize a system of integrated care. |
