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Driving Seniors: When Is It Time to Put Down the Keys?
Driving: it makes so many things easier for us -- it allows us to run errands, visit friends, and chauffeur our children... It also allows us to be independent.
Children Playing the Parent Role
For many years, parents get to play the role of parents to their children. Among other things, they do the worrying, they give advice, make decisions on their own, and many of them have the ability to drive. Those who depend on the ability to drive, would probably be inconvenienced if they lost their driving priviledges. For seniors especially, driving often plays an important role in helping them live on their own. But as drivers age, physical and physiological changes occur that will require them to give up driving. Sometimes aging drivers will know themselves when it is time, but sadly, many times they refuse to believe that there is a problem.
Giving up their freedom to drive means a loss of independence for the aging adult. Many times the decision to help aging parents falls on their adult children. How do you tell your aging parents that it is no longer safe for them to drive? How can we help seniors keep their independence, and help them adjust to no longer being able to drive?
Older Persons and Driving
- The number of older persons making trips is rapidly increasing, as is the frequency of those trips and the distance traveled.
- Most older persons avoid rush hour and drive fewer miles, shorter distances, and less at night. Collision rates decrease steadily with age.
- By the time a driver is 65, the risk of a major accident drops to less than 1%.
- Two-thirds of older adults who stop driving say it was because of physical impairments.
- One-third of older adults who do not drive rely on family and friends for their transportation. Others rely on public and volunteer transportation alternatives to maintain their mobility and independence.
Retiring from Driving: It's a Family Affair
The next few years will bring the largest ever group of older drivers to our roads and highways. The good news is that despite the declining physical conditions associated with advancing age, research is showing that older persons are successfully adjusting for those age-related changes and are now driving safely well into their 70s, 80s and 90s. Access to transportation is an essential part of an older person's ability to remain independent in the community. However, for some older persons, retiring from driving is necessary.
Some older drivers need the support of family and friends to make the transition from driving to utilizing transportation alternatives. To support an older relative in this transition, family members can:
- Prepare a list of safety, medical and behavioral concerns related to continued driving;
- Discuss concerns, implications of continued driving, and ramifications of a crash with the family member;
- If the driver's physician or other professional recommends the older person no longer drive, get the information in writing and have it available for the discussion;
- Find out what the medication instructions say about the medicines the driver is taking -- prescribed or over the counter;
- Identify transportation alternatives so they can begin making plans for how they will maintain their mobility and independence.
How Is Your Driving Health? A Self-Awareness Checklist & Tips to Help You Drive Safely Longer
Vision
Good driving health begins with good vision. With declining vision, your responses to signals, signs, and changing traffic conditions become slower, increasing your crash risk.
Warning Signs
- You have problems reading highway or street signs, or recognizing someone you know across the street.
- You have trouble seeing lane lines & other pavement markings; curbs & medians; and other vehicles & pedestrians, especially at dawn or dusk, and at night.
- You are experiencing more discomfort from the glare of oncoming headlights at night.
Tips
- Make sure your corrective lenses have a current prescription, and always wear them. If you lose or break your glasses, don't rely on an old pair; replace them right away with your new prescription.
- Do not wear sunglasses or tinted lenses at night. This reduces the amount of light that reaches your eyes, and makes driving much more hazardous.
- Keep your windshield and headlights clean, and make sure your headlight aim is checked when your vehicle is inspected.
- Sit high enough in your seat so that you can see the road within 10 feet in front of your car. This will make a big difference in reducing the amount of glare you experience from opposing headlights at night. Use a cushion if your car seats don't have vertical adjustment.
- People age 61 and older should see an optometrist or ophthalmologist every year to check for cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and other conditions for which we are at greater risk as we grow older.
Physical Fitness
Diminished strength, flexibility, and coordination can have a major impact on your ability to control your vehicle in a safe manner.
Warning Signs
- You have trouble looking over your shoulder to change lanes, or looking left & right to check traffic at intersections.
- You have trouble moving your foot from the gas to the brake pedal, or turning the steering wheel.
- You have fallen down to the floor or ground -- not counting a trip or stumble -- once or more in the previous year.
- You walk less than 1 block per day.
- You can't raise your arms above your shoulders.
- You feel pain in your knees, legs, or ankles when going up or down a flight of stairs (10 steps).
Tips
- With your doctor's approval, do some stretching exercises, and start a walking program. Walk around the block, or in a shopping mall. Also, check your local health clubs, YMCAs, senior centers, community colleges, and hospitals for fitness programs geared to the needs of seniors.
- Get examined by a podiatrist if you have pain or swelling in your feet. If you have pain or stiffness in your arms, legs, or neck, your doctor may prescribe medication and/or physical therapy.
- An occupational therapist or a certified driving rehabilitation specialist may be able to prescribe special equipment for your car to make it easier to steer and to use your pedals.
- Eliminate your driver's side blind spot by re-aiming your mirror. First, lean your head against the window, then adjust your mirror outward so that when you look at the inside edge you can barely see the side of your car. If you use a wide-angle mirror, get lots of practice judging distances to other cars before using it in traffic.
Attention & Reaction Time
Driving often requires quick reactions to safety threats. As we grow older, it becomes more difficult to divide attention and to make rapid responses.
Warning Signs
- You feel overwhelmed by all of the signs, signals, markings, pedestrians, and other vehicles that you must pay attention to at intersections.
- Gaps in traffic are harder to judge, making it more difficult to turn left at intersections, or to merge with traffic when turning right.
- You take medications that make you drowsy.
- You often get lost or become disoriented.
- You aren't confident that you can handle the demands of high speeds or heavy traffic volumes.
- You are slower in recognizing cars coming out of driveways or side streets, or realizing that another car has slowed or stopped ahead of you.
Tips
- Plan your route. Drive where you are familiar with the road conditions and traffic patterns.
- Drive during the day, and avoid rush hours.
- A passenger can serve as a "second pair of eyes." But don't get distracted in conversation!
- When approaching intersections, remember to stay alert for cars and pedestrians entering from the side unexpectedly.
- Leave enough distance between you and the car ahead to react to a sudden stop, but understand that too large a gap will invite others to cut in front of you in heavy traffic. A gap of 3 seconds or more is most desirable, conditions permitting. Look for a tree, sign, etc. When the car ahead of you passes this point count "1001, 1002, 1003." If you can count to 1003 by the time you get to the same point, this equals a 3-second gap.
Don't Ignore the Warning Signs - Has this Happened to You?
- A friend or family member has expressed concern about your driving.
- You sometimes get lost while driving on routes that were once familiar.
- You have been pulled over by a police officer and warned of poor driving behavior, regardless of whether or not you received a ticket.
- You have had several moving violations, near misses, or actual crashes in the past three years.
- Your doctor or other health care giver has advised you to restrict or stop driving.
- Listen to what people tell you who know you best and care the most about you.
- Discuss driving with your doctor -- he or she can evaluate the interactions and side effects of all the medications you may be taking.
- Refresh your knowledge of safe driving practices and learn about new traffic control & roadway design features through a mature driver class.
- Begin planning for alternative ways of meeting your mobility needs. Now is the time to learn about mobility options in your community -- try them out...see what works best for you.
Self-Awareness: The Key to Safe Driving
While we all want to keep driving for as long we can, none of us wants to be a threat to ourselves or to others because we are no longer able to drive safely. A leading cause of accidental death among older persons is automobile crashes.
It's important to remember that most seniors are capable, and have a lifetime of valuable driving experience. Decisions about a person's ability to drive should never be based on age alone.
Fortunately, most seniors take appropriate steps when they detect a problem with their driving. But it's not always obvious when a general health problem, vision problem, or a side effect of medications will lead to a driving impairment.
Self awareness is the key. People who can accurately assess their fitness to drive can adjust their driving habits, and stay safe on the road. They will retain the personal mobility that comes with driving, while limiting the risks to themselves and to others.
Our Parents
Being able to drive is very important to many people...especially aging adults. They may or may not recognize the signs that they should stop driving, so family members should act with care and understanding when approaching aging adults. If your aging parent begins to show signs that they should limit their driving or that they should not be driving at all, don't wait to talk with them. Have them discuss the situation with their doctor to see if there is a medical problem that could be affecting their driving, such as vision and memory tests. Assure aging drivers that you will help them make the transition from driver to non-driver. If you can, find alternate ways for them to get around - this will help them keep their feeling of independence.
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Click here to read other articles by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Copyright © MyParenTime.com. Older Persons and Driving, and *Retiring From Driving, Copyright © U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging. *How Is Your Driving Health? Copyright © U.S. Department of Transportation. Reprinted with permission.
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