Older adult vision deterioration, cognitive impairment, and physical limitations impact on driving ability.
Can you continue to safely drive over the age of 65?
Experts estimate that men live six years beyond their ability to drive and women outlive their ability by 10 years. A survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that more than half the drivers surveyed reporting they would stop driving sometime in their 90s, and one in 10 reported they never plan to stop driving. So at what age should you stop driving?
Age alone is not a red flag for driving ability.
Medical conditions and medications side effects can accelerate the decline in your driving capabilities. Most older adults have at least one chronic medical condition and many have multiple conditions, with the most common being arthritis, hypertension, hearing impairments, heart disease, cataracts, dizziness, orthopedic impairments, and diabetes.
Keep in mind the presence of one or more of these conditions does not automatically mean you have to stop driving immediately. Instead the presence of these medical conditions and taking of medications to treat a chronic condition are an indication that you may need to have a discussion with your health care providers to see if there are changes you can make to keep driving safely.
It’s important to have a talk with each of your prescribing physicians as more than 75% of older adults report taking one or more medications, but less than 33% recognize that their medications may have an impact on their ability to drive a car. These discussions with your doctor are also a great opportunity to start talking about making a plan for how to get around once it’s time to put away the car keys.
Signals you may need to take a closer look at your diving competence include being:
Issued two or more traffic citations or “warnings” in the last two years;
Involved in two or more collisions or “near misses” in the prior two years;
Hounded by other drivers that honk their horns at you or aggressively pass you even when you’re within the speed limit;
Bewildered when scrapes or dents appear on your car, garage, fence, mailbox, and curbs;
Questioned by family, friends, neighbors, and others as to whether you can drive safely; and
Supported on drives with a co-pilot to help navigate and alert you to traffic situations.
There are three areas to investigate – your vision, cognitive, and physical skills.
Although many people experience a decline in these skills as they get older, these changes occur at different rates, and older adults experience functional changes to different degrees. Based on our research, here are some questions to help guide you on where to focus in each skill area, plus a list of medical conditions that may be contributing to a negative response to a given question.
If you answer yes to one or more of these questions, we recommend you use the “Drivers 65 Plus: Check Your Performance: A Self-Rating Tool with Facts and Suggestions for Safe Drivers” from AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and follow the guidance in the 8 Things Older Adults Can Do to Keep Driving post.
Vision Deterioration
Eyesight changes as you age. When you’re driving, do you have trouble seeing:
The road, street signs, lane markers, and people or cyclists in your path;
At dawn, dusk, night, or on a cloudy day;
In one or both eyes, and/or experiencing double images in one eye; and
Things out of the corner of your eye because your peripheral (side) vision is weakened?
Does light bother you in these ways?
Sunlight is too bright.
Glare from headlights temporarily blinds you.
Going from bright light to low light takes more than usual time to adjust.
Need more bright light to see things up close.
Do you find that:
Colors look faded, less vivid, or not bright?
Your vision is dull or blurry?
It seems like you are looking through a tunnel?
Have you been diagnosed with one or more of the following medical conditions that are known to contribute to vision problems?
Cataracts
Macular Degeneration
Glaucoma
Diabetes
Alzheimer’s Disease
Parkinson’s Disease
Stroke
In 2016, several months after we moved my father to Dallas, he was “T-Boned” by an oncoming car while making a left-hand turn into a shopping center. Thankfully he was not injured. Although shaken, he got back in the car and drove it home.
When the insurance adjusters evaluated the car, they said the impact had cracked the axel and he never should have driven it home. The car was totaled. Concerned about not having a way to get around, my father wanted us to take him immediately to a car dealership and get a replacement.
I was not convinced that was a good idea, but didn’t have a way to assess his ability. Researching on the Internet I came across the “Drivers 65 Plus: Check Your Performance: A self-Rating Tool with Facts and Suggestions for Safe Drivers” from AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. It was extremely helpful in educating me on things to consider. More importantly, I was able to sit down with my dad and complete the assessment. It gave him enough pause that he decided not to get a new car and we started working on his alternative transportation plan.
Cognitive Impairment
Medical conditions or the side effects of prescription drugs often impact your cognitive abilities.
When you’re driving, do you have trouble
Remembering where you are going, how to get there, or where you parked your car;
Staying in your driving lane and not drifting across lane markings into other lanes or straddling lanes;
Following traffic lights and road signs; Learning a new route so you require more than normal directions or a co-pilot;
Gauging gaps in traffic at street crossings and on highway ramps making it difficult to merge in traffic;
Determining what to do so you stop at a green light or hit the brakes at the wrong time; or
Keeping pace with the flow of traffic so you either drive too fast or too slowly?
How do you feel when driving? Do you find yourself
Easily frustrated, confused, or disoriented;
Unable to control your anger or sadness, so you’re irritable or depressed?
In general, do you struggle with
Learning and retaining new information;
Concentrating and focusing on a desired task;
Speaking and understanding what other are saying or doing; and
Recognizing other people’s faces.
Have you been diagnosed with one or more of the following medical conditions that are known to contribute to cognitive impairment problems?
Macular Degeneration
Diabetes
Alzheimer’s Disease
Stroke
Sleep Apnea
Physical Limitations
As we age, physical strength and flexibility decline.
When you’re driving, do you have trouble:
Reacting quickly to road hazards;
Gripping and turning the steering wheel and ignition key;
Pressing the accelerator, brake, and /or clutch;
Reaching over to open doors or windows and fasten seat belt;
Turning your head quickly and fully to look both ways at an intersection and for oncoming traffic:
Glancing over your shoulder to check for cars in your blind spot,
Reversing into or out of a parking space;
Making left and right turns safely; or
Getting into or out of the car?
Are there changes in your general ability to:
Keep your balance and coordination or starting to move once you have been still for a period of time;
Walk or control your body movements – your arms, hands, or legs shake even when you’re relaxed;
Bend or move your shoulders, hips, hands, head, neck; or
Stay awake?
Have you experienced:
Numbness or weakness in your face, arms, or legs;
Severe headache without a known cause;
Temporary or permanent weakness or paralysis on one side of your body; or
Drowsiness, dizziness, seizure, or loss of consciousness?
Have you been diagnosed with one or more of the following medical conditions that are known to contribute to physical strength and mobility problems?
Arthritis
Diabetes
Alzheimer’s Disease
Parkinson’s Disease
Stroke
Sleep Apnea
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