To Drive or Not to Drive

To Drive or Not to Drive?

By: Frank E. Fain, PhD

“6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.”

Drivers Ten Commandments – Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road

One of an older adult’s greatest fears is losing their driving privileges. For many getting a driver’s license was a significant rite of passage into adulthood. It meant personal freedom and independence. The loss of this privilege means dependency on others for life’s necessities and possibly a reduction in ones social and leisure activities as well. After driving for decades and enjoying all its benefits, it is very emotional and traumatic to “hang up the car keys.”

The ideal would be that everyone keeps on driving as long as they live. However, age related factors such as: vision, hearing, muscle strength losses, slowing of reactions, reduction in concentration skills, or cognitive impairment can make driving a hazard for the older driver, other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.

Some uninformed people suggest that at a certain age everyone should be required to give up their driver’s license, but this is not an acceptable solution. Everyone ages differently. Some people are capable of continuing to drive safely in their seventies, eighties and even beyond, while for others their driving skills diminish much earlier. It would be unfair to punish all older drivers for problems cause by only the few drivers who ignore their declining driving abilities.

The best approach to regularly assess ones driving skills. This could be done through self evaluation or asking someone to ride with you and HONESTLY evaluate your skills.

Following is a checklist that can be used to identify telltale signs of a decline in an older person’s driving abilities.

Do you (or they):

	Feel uncomfortable, nervous or fearful while driving
	Drive at inappropriate speeds, either too fast or two slow
	Have difficulty staying in the lane of travel or tend to bump into the curbs
	Ignore, disobey or misinterpret street signs and traffic lights
	Have frequent “close calls” (almost crashes) or dents and scrapes on the car or on fences, mailboxes, garage doors etc.
	Tend to have conflicts on the road i.e. other drivers honking at you or do you easily get frustrated or angry with other drivers
	Have trouble judging gaps in traffics at intersections or highway entrance/exit ramps
	Notice a reluctance from friends or relatives to ride while you drive
	Tend to get lost more often even in familiar areas
	Have difficulty turning around to check while backing up or changing lanes
	Often ask passengers to help check if it is clear to pass or turn
	Respond slowly to or not notice pedestrians, bicyclist and other drivers
	Frequently get traffic tickets or “warnings” by law enforcement officers
	Have difficulty with glare from oncoming headlights, streetlights, or other bright or shiny objects, especially at dawn, dusk or night
	Forget to turn on headlights after dark
	Fail to use your turn signals or tend to keep the signal on without changing lanes
	Get easily distracted, drowsy or have a hard time concentrating while driving
	Have trouble moving foot from the gas to brake pedal, or confusing the two pedals

If you notice one or more of these warning signs you will want to begin examining available options to improve your driving skills or adjust your driving to maximize personal and other people’s safety. These options and suggested adjustments will be the subject of my next column.

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