Driving and When To Give Up the Keys?

Driving Decisions

It’s a difficult decision to make on how long one should continue driving. Driving independence adds to quality-of-life for seniors especially in a suburban area like Bucks County where public transportation is limited. I frequently hear patients say, “I don’t want to be a burden to my family by having to have them drive me everywhere.”

Statistically many seniors have better driving records then younger drivers. Research shows drivers age 55 and older make up 25% of the driving population, but only have 18% of the accidents. At age 85 that same rate starts to increase significantly.

First you should consider two things: pathologies that can affect elderly person’s ability to drive and warning signs that the driver is unsafe.

• Pathologies: vision changes, hearing deficits, memory loss, arthritis with limited mobility, diabetes which can affect sensation and vision, medications that can cause drowsiness, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and cardiac arrhythmias.
• Warning signs indicating unsafe driving: Moving too slowly on the highway, failing to come to a full stop at stop signs, being distracted, reacting to slowly, being honked at by other drivers, missing traffic signals, becoming anxious at busy intersections, upsetting passengers in the car because of driving habits.

I generally see seniors making good decisions in terms of driving. They frequently ask someone else to drive them if they’re going somewhere unfamiliar. They often only drive to places that they frequent, such as the same shopping center, hairdresser, doctors etc. They also choose to drive when traffic is the least avoiding rush-hour in busy traffic times and they often avoid driving at night.

So how do we make this decision whether a senior is safe to drive?

• Discuss the issue with your doctor and loved ones.
• Consider a referral to a driving evaluation specialist: Moss rehab at Doylestown Hospital performs these exams.
• Avoid distractions when driving.
• Never drink alcohol prior to driving.
• Update your driving skills with older driver course: Offered through AARP.

It is important to realize that when a senior stops driving, adjustments need to be made for a senior’s lifestyle such as family members need to be more available for appointments and trips to the grocery store. It’s important to try and plan early and the emotional piece of this process will be much less traumatic for everyone.