The age people need to stop driving differs and depends on many factors, i.e. medical conditions, vision, and physical abilities. Aging begins to affect driving around age 55. The earlier you discuss the effects of aging on driving with the senior in your life, the easier it is to agree on a plan of action.
Plan now for a time that driving will no longer be a safe option:
- Ask the older driver to take you for a drive about every 6 months so you can see how they drive and note any changes. AAA Foundation offers Drivers 55 Plus: Check Your Own Performance, a tool that allows drivers to assess their own performance
- Ensure the older driver has regular medical check-ups and eye exams. A complete medical exam can reveal specific physical conditions that affect driving. For example, qualified medical personnel can check an older driver’s decision-making skills, reaction time, muscle strength, and joint flexibility
- Encourage regular exercise to maintain strength, flexibility, and general well-being. In addition, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety also publishes the brochure, Flexibility Fitness Training Package for Improving Older Driver Performance. It outlines exercises aimed specifically at joint flexibility related to driving.
- Discuss the gradual changes that will need to be made as the older driver ages. Sometimes, just a few simple changes are all that is needed to remain safe:
- Limit driving to certain times of day
- Avoid night driving
- Add an extra-wide mirror
- Discuss alternative modes of transportation well before skills diminish
- When discussing retirement, take the same careful approach to transportation that you would with finances and other retirement-related decisions
- In choosing a retirement home, look at access to public transportation, the ability to walk to services, and whether transportation is provided by the facility.
