The truth about older drivers...

 Courtesy of Aging with Grace

For many adult children, the issue of their aging parent’s driving is a source of great concern. However, statistics indicate that most older adults are safe drivers, with high safety belt use and few citations for speeding, reckless driving or alcohol-related charges. In fact, the actual number of accidents involving older drivers decreases as their age increases. Experts attribute this decline to self-imposed limitations, such as: driving fewer miles, avoiding night time driving, not driving in bad weather, and avoiding rush-hour traffic.

With that being said, declining physical functions, increased medication usage can increase the risk of accidents and injury among older adults, especially after age 75, when the risk of being involved in a collision increases for every mile they drive. The rate of risk for adults over age 75 is nearly equal to the risk of younger drivers age 16 to 24. Fatalities increase slightly after age 65 and significantly after age 75. This is directly related to the inability to withstand physical trauma as a person ages over 75.

These statistics highlight the risk of older drivers. Each family must ask, “Is my older loved one safe while driving?” Once that question is answered, the next question becomes, who should do the talking? Older adults generally prefer to speak confidentially about driving safety with someone they trust. For married drivers they prefer to discuss this sensitive subject with their spouse who have the added advantage of observing driving over time and in different situations, as well as the understanding of each other's limitations. Folks that live alone are more likely to listen to their physician over a family member. However, adult children seem to have more influence with parents over 70 than with younger parents in their 50s and 60s. These differences often correlate to health changes and shifts in parent-child relationships later in life. Older drivers also tend to be more open to adult children who live nearby.

Outspoken or authoritative family members are not ideal to open the early discussions on driving, but may better serve as the enforcer of driving decisions later on, if necessary. If you are concerned about an elderly driver, closely monitor their driving before deciding whether they need to brush up on their driving skills or give up their driver’s license altogether.

Some steps include:
• Watch for changes in driving habits, general behavior, and health.
• Encourage a driving evaluation through your local Department of Motor Vehicles, along with refresher driving lessons and the AARP Driver Safetycourse.
• Offer the senior some self-evaluation tools to assess driving risk, or work together on these quizzes. See especially the driver assessment questionnaires from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
• Explore ways to reduce driving, such as making purchases online or through mail-order catalogs. If possible, arrange for home delivery of groceries, and home visits by clergy, medical and personal care providers, and government service providers.
• If necessary, garner support from the older adult’s primary care physician and other family members.
• Research and propose alternative modes of transportation. Maybe the senior can continue to drive some of the time (such as in the daytime or off the freeway), and alternative transportation can fill the need for rides at other times.

Talking to a senior driver who should stop driving...

If you feel that it is time to talk to a senior close to you about stopping driving, approach the issue with sensitivity. A driver’s license signifies more than the ability to drive a car; it is a symbol of:
• freedom
• independence and independent living
• self-sufficiency
• being employed
• fun and spontaneity
• involvement in social and religious activities

Understandably, driving is not a privilege that anyone—teenager or elder—wants to relinquish willingly. As important as it is to treat the senior driver with respect and not jump to unjust conclusions, it is also important to help the elderly driver retire from the road. Start slowly and try to persuade the senior to give up the keys.