Seniors Driving . . . to disaster?

Our society sees driving a car as an ultimate expression of freedom and independence.  Asking an adult to stop driving, or even communicating concerns about safety and driving ability causes great consternation.  Here are some ideas to address the issue and mitigate the contention that often occurs.

• Take some rides with the senior driver.  Ride in familiar and unfamiliar territory, different levels of traffic and various times of day and weather conditions.  Observe the senior’s confidence, comfort and awareness of driving conditions.  Watch how they execute the details of driving  (left turns, stops at stop signs, distance between cars, use of turn signals, etc) and their timing of decisions and actions.
• Make it a practice to start scanning the senior’s vehicle at visits or events. New dents, scapes, dings, or missing mirrors, are warning signs to pay attention to. 
• Consider the AARP and or AAA defensive driving courses specifically designed for seniors to sharpen driving skills and review rules of the road.  These are very affordable and are very helpful in making all senior drivers more mindful and aware.  It often is taken better when an adult child or other interested person takes the course with the senior.  (“Let’s enroll in this class together so we both get refreshers.”)
• It’s always a good idea to make sure the car insurance is paid up, that is a significant warning sign that important things are being forgotten. 
• In many states, driver’s licenses are required to be renewed annually, some seniors are afraid to go for renewal for fear of being turned away.  Diagnoses common to the senior population,  like macular degeneration, diabetes, seizure disorder may disqualify a driver therefore they are hesitant to disclose the conditions to DVM or ask their doctor to sign their renewal form.  Seniors may feel it “worth the risk” to not renew their license as they feel unlikely to get caught.
• A possible way to alleviate a member of the family having to “take away the keys” is to have the senior go to a local driving school to have an on-the-road driving test.  This way, if the senior fails the test, it isn’t someone they love “punishing” them or “taking away their independence”.  It is a matter of factual pass or fail.  If they pass, they are good to renew their license for another year.  If they fail, it’s time to explore other options for transportation (non-medical home care companion for example.)  Be certain to call the driving school ahead of time and make sure they don’t give the senior a “sweet old guy pass”.  You really need an objective assessment of their driving skills by a professional.
• If cognitive impairment is of any concern at all, driving is an extremely dangerous activity for multiple reasons.  Not only could your loved one or others be injured, there remains the liability that someone with known cognitive impairment was not stopped from operating a motor vehicle. If you hold power of attorney for someone you are concerned about driving safely, investigate the liability you may have with an elder law attorney.

Visit Senior.One or call 1-888-888-2191 to research options for resources and options for every step of your journey.  Their Care Advisors can provide you with valuable information to help you respond to every situation in order to help you and your senior remain in control of the most important choices of life.