Perhaps you had a fender bender in your car, and now your adult children are suggesting you give up your keys and stop driving. But you worry that living without a vehicle will cost you your independence, compromise your social life and leave you begging family members for a ride every time you need groceries.
Once you reach your 70s, it can be more challenging to drive safely. Visual skills, such as peripheral vision and depth perception, weaken. Reaction time slows. Muscle and joint flexibility decreases. Colors, especially red, get harder to pick out as you age. For some older drivers, it can take twice as long to see the flash of brake lights as younger drivers.
But none of this means that you are unfit to drive. In fact, senior drivers have lower rates of police-reported crash involvements per capita than other age groups because they have more experience, are less likely to speed and don’t multitask while in the car.
Bottom Line Personal asked driving-safety expert Jake Nelson how to identify potential problems and sharpen driving skills in your senior years…
Look for signs your driving skills may be waning
Do drivers often honk at you? Are you drifting from your lane? Are family members reluctant to have you drive them places? Do you have difficulty judging gaps in traffic, which make it intimidating to turn left at busy intersections or merge with traffic getting on the freeway? Do you have trouble moving your foot between the gas and brake pedals or confuse the two? Do your vehicle’s tires (or hubcaps) look beat up even though they aren’t old because you are hitting curbs more often?
If you have any concerns about your driving skills, consider doing a self-evaluation with either of the following tools…
AAA’s self-rating assessment: Exchange.aaa.com/safety/senior-driver-safety-mobility/evaluate-your-driving-ability/.
University of Florida Institute for Mobility, Activity and Participation’s fitness-to-drive screener: FitnessToDrive.PHHP.ufl.edu.
Hire a trainer
Look for a certified occupational therapist in your area who specializes in helping drivers compensate for any lost skills. The therapist will ride with you, analyze your performance, and suggest exercises and techniques to improve your skills. This also may give skeptical family members some peace of mind. Typical cost: $300 to $500. To find a driving rehabilitation provider, go to AOTA.org, and search for “driving practitioner directory.”
Install high-intensity discharge (HID) bulbs
They make your headlights brighter than traditional halogen bulbs, so you can see further down the road and have more time to react to hazards, signs and pedestrians. Note: Properly designed and aimed HID headlights generally do not cause significant distraction for oncoming drivers.
Other useful technology for seniors: If you are shopping for a new or used car, look for 360-degree camera systems…auto-dimming rearview mirrors that reduce glare from oncoming vehicles’ headlights…lane-departure warning systems…parking-assistance sensors that beep if you get too close to an obstacle or another car when pulling into a parking space or backing out of a garage.
Set sensible limits
Alter your driving habits to avoid situations that feel unsafe. Most common…
Leave enough room between your car and the one in front of you so you can see its rear tires meet the road.
Favor routes that avoid risky spots, such as ramps that merge into heavy traffic and left turns that lack a green-arrow traffic light signal. AAA often tells older drivers who are uncomfortable making left-hand turns that three right-hand turns can replace a left-hand turn.
Avoid driving in decreased visibility conditions including dusk/night and rain.
When approaching intersections, remind yourself to look to the sides of the road, as well as directly ahead.
Prepare now for the day you no longer can drive
Older adults outlive their ability to drive safety by about seven (men) to 10 (women) years, on average, before they die. This is related to natural declines in physical and cognitive abilities required for safe driving.
What to do: The next time your car has to go into the mechanics for repairs is an ideal time to experiment. Try a network of transportation alternatives. Sign up for ride-service apps such as Uber and Lyft—they can be costly, but remember, the average driver saves more than $1,000 a month when he/she stops operating a vehicle. AAA offers a free calculator to estimate how much owning and operating a vehicle can cost at AAA.com/autorepair/drivingcosts.
Also, see if your Medicare Advantage plan pays for transportation to and from medical appointments. And many communities offer volunteer driver programs as well. Example: Independent Transportation Network (ITNAmerica.org)
