What to do when you think their too old to drive

When should we tell our Elderly Loved ones they can longer drive?

For the most part elderly drivers are safe.

But driving skills do decline with age. But just as with other age groups, driving skills vary from person to person. Telling our elderly loved ones that it may be time to stop driving can be one of the hardest milestones for caregivers, sons, daughters, spouses. Driving represents freedom and independence to the elderly, it allows them the choice to visit with friends & go shopping, without having to rely on anyone else to taxi them around.

Elderly driving skills vary greatly. It's not fair to punish all elderly drivers for problems created by just a small number of elderly drivers. It would not be appropriate for the government to revoke an elderly person's drivers license just because the person has reached a particular age.

When the big question of declining driving abilities becomes a personal issue in your life, the issues involved are very emotional. Elderly drivers might get defensive, even angry, when the subject of their driving abilities is raised. So, include the elderly person in the decision-making process if  possible rather than dictate a decision to them. It can also be very helpful if both you and your elderly loved one discuss the matter together with family members, doctors, and other people they respect, such as clergy and friends. But, if despite your best efforts you still have to make the decision to stop them from driving for their own safety and the safety of others.

So just how does aging affect the abilities of elderly drivers?

Being a safe elderly driver requires complex coordination of several different skills. The physical and mental changes that are accompanied with aging can diminish the abilities of the elderly driver. These changes include:

    A slowdown in response time 
    A loss of clarity in vision and hearing   
    A loss of muscle strength and flexibility  
    Drowsiness due to medications
     A reduction in the ability to focus or concentrate
  

 Taking each one of these issues seperately does not automaticaly mean that elderly driver should stop driving. But caregivers and family members need to evaluate the elderly person's driving on a regular basis to determine if the elderly persons functions alter their driving skills.

Here is a checklist on safe driving for the elderly:

Watch for signs of decline in the elderly person's driving abilities. Do they:

 Drive at inappropriate speeds, either too fast or too slow?
  
 Ask passengers to help check if it is clear to pass or turn?
  
 Respond slowly to or not notice pedestrians, bicyclists and other drivers?
  
 Ignore, disobey or misinterpret street signs and traffic lights?
  
 Fail to yield to other cars or pedestrians who have the right-of-way?
 
 Fail to judge distances between cars correctly?
  
 Become easily frustrated and angry?
  
 Appear drowsy, confused or frightened?
  
 Have one or more near accidents or near misses?
 
 Drift across lane markings or bump into curbs?
  
  Forget to turn on headlights after dusk?
  
  Have difficulty with glare from oncoming headlights, streetlights, or other bright objects, especially at   dawn, dusk and at night?
  
  Have difficulty turning their head, neck, shoulders or body while driving or parking?
  
   Ignore signs of mechanical problems, including underinflated tires?
  
   Not enough strength to turn the wheel quickly in an emergency.
  
   Get lost repeatedly, even in familiar areas?

If you've answered yes to one or more of these questions, you should explore whether medical issues might be affecting their driving skills.

Here are some Medical issues to consider:

Have they had their vision and hearing tested recently?
  
Have they had a physical examination within the past year testing reflexes and to make sure they don't have any illnesses that could impact their driving ability?
  
Are they taking medications or combinations of medications that might make them drowsy or confused while driving?
  
 Has had difficulty climbing a flight of stairs or walking more than one block?
  
Has fallen, not a trip or stumble, once or more in the last year?
  
Has had a physician told them that they should stop driving?


How to adapt to changes:

Driving is not necessarily an all-or-nothing activity. Some programs exist to help elderly drivers adjust their driving to changes in their physical condition:

AARP (the American Association of Retired Persons) sponsors the 55-Alive Mature Driver Program, which helps older people deal with issues such as how to compensate for vision problems associated with aging. And, the Association for Driver Rehabilitation offers referrals to specialists who teach people with disabilities, including those associated with aging, how to improve their driving.

There are many ways for elderly drivers to adjust so they are not a danger to themselves or others. Among them are:

    Avoid driving at night, at dawn or dusk
  
    Drive only to and from familiar locations
  
    Avoid driving far away from home
  
    Avoid expressways and rush hour traffic
  
    Allow plenty of time to get where they are going
  
    Don't drive alone


There are Other forms of transportation:
Encourage your elderly loved one to rely more on other types of transportation such as public transportation. This will reduce their time behind the wheel and help prepare them for the day when they can no longer drive. Many cities offer special discounts for seniors on buses and trains, and senior centers and community service agencies often provide special transportation alternatives.


So How to get them to stop driving:

If you really feel strongly that your parent can't drive safely, you have very little choice but get them to stop. If your elderly  loved one agrees without an argument, wonderful. If not, you have many options:
  
You can stage an intervention. This approach, involves confronting the elderly driver as a group of concerned family and friends. The group should include family, health workers and anyone else respected by the elderly loved one. The intervention must be handled firmly but with compassion in order to break through the denial of the driving issue.
  
As one of your last resorts you could contact the local Department of Motor Vehicles and report your concerns. Depending upon state laws and your senior's disabilities, it may be illegal for them  to drive. The DMV may just send a letter, but it could help convince your loved one to stop driving.
  
The ultimate last resort is to take the keys, disable the car or move it. Leave the headlights on all night or disconnect the battery to disable the car. But if your loved one is likely to call a mechanic, you have no choice but to not allow any access to the car. This may seem very extreme, but it can save the lives of your loved one and others on the road.




Here are some Resources to help;

AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons) offers the highly recommended Driver Safety Program for older people. 
The Association for Driver Rehabilitation offers referrals to professionals trained to help people with disabilities, including those associated with aging. Contact them at: P.O. Box 49, Edgerton, Wisconsin 53534, 1-608-884-8833.
The USAA Educational Foundation, AARP, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration developed a very informative booklet, "Driving Safely While Aging Gracefully."

I hope this has been helpful to any of you that may have to go through this soon.
Have a great day All!