Putting The Brakes On Elderly Drivers

Taking the keys away from an elderly parent requires walking a fine line. Do we respect their judgment and lifestyle or do we show concern for their own or someone else’s safety?

For many senior adults, the prospect of losing their car is a little like losing their legs. Driving is symbolic of their ability to be self-reliant and run their own lives.

Elderly drivers and safety. Currently one in eight drivers in the United States is over 65. In 25 years, one is five drivers will be over 65.

Almost a fifth of the fatalities on US roads in 1997 were elderly people. This is noteworthy because older adults generally avoid driving at night, during rush hour, and under other high-risk conditions. At age 85 and beyond, older drivers have more serious injury and fatal accidents per mile driven than teenage drivers. The fatality rate for drivers 85 and over is nine times as high as the rate for drivers 25 through 69 years old.

According to Lawrence Nitz, a political scientist from the University of Hawaii, drivers over 75 were far more likely than other motorists to be cited for failing to yield to pedestrians, backing up unsafely and failing to stop at a flashing red light. Other studies have shown elderly drivers make poor judgments in making left-hand turns, tend to drift within the traffic lanes, and have delayed responses to unexpected or rapidly changing situations.

Declining abilities. The main concerns for older drivers are cataracts, decreased reaction times and loss of peripheral vision. By the time drivers reach the age of sixty, they need three times the amount of light they did at age twenty to drive safely at night. Their poor vision results in increased difficulty in noticing pedestrians, signs, objects, or other vehicles.

Many of the elderly develop arthritis or lose muscle strength and flexibility. Older drivers are more reluctant to turn their necks and check out blind spots.

At the age of 75 the decay accelerates. Almost a third of those over 65 have significant hearing loss. That jumps to 75 percent at age 75.

Many of the elderly have side effects from medications - such as drowsiness. They experience a rapid onset of fatigue from driving. They also have a lower tolerance to alcohol. The most serious threat to driver safety comes from a loss of cognitive abilities (dementia, Alzheimer’s disease) that affect judgment and understanding.

The elderly and safe driving. Aging drivers can adopt safer driving practices to offset some of these physical changes. To do this, older adults must be able to recognize their limitations, identify unsafe practices, and educate themselves in ways that they can continue to drive safely. For instance they can:

- Avoid driving at night and, if possible, at dawn or dusk. Get vision checked regularly.

- Drive only to familiar locations. Avoid driving to long distances.

- Avoid busy thoroughfares and rush hour traffic. Allow plenty of time to get to a destination.

- Don't drive alone. Consider car pooling. Rely more on public transportation.

- Use services that do home delivery. Use online banking.

- Take a driver refresher course.

- Don’t drive under adverse weather conditions.

- Use mirrors more and/or get a wide angle rear view mirror.

When Dad or Mom become unsafe. After a pattern of close calls, violations or collisions, discuss the topic. If at all possible, include your parent in a driving review and the decision not to drive rather than dictate a decision. In approaching the subject, it will be better to ask questions rather than make demands. Approach them with intelligence, persuasion, tact and humor.

Encourage your elderly parent to discuss the matter together with family members, doctors, and other people they respect, such as clergy and friends.

Questioning a parent’s declining driving abilities can be very emotional. Instead of responding with logic, a parent may become defensive and angry. There was no reasoning with my wife’s father. The decision had to be made for him. He didn’t like it and still doesn’t.

Options if a parent refuses to cooperate.

1. Stage an intervention. This approach involves confronting the elderly driver as a group of concerned caregivers. The group should include family members, health care workers and anyone else respected by the senior. The intervention should be handled firmly but with compassion to break through the senior’s denial of the problem.

2. Contact the Department of Motor Vehicles or law enforcement to report your concerns. The state can order a driver’s test or otherwise advise you on how to proceed. Physicians can report their concerns and request a driver’s test also. Parents may respect the authority of medical and law enforcement personnel over a child’s judgment.

3. Take the keys, disable the car or move it to a location beyond the parent’s control. This should be done as a last resort. This may be necessary, but they will be angry and resentment may follow.

Hopefully, we will all live long enough to have this problem. If I become a danger to myself or someone else, I would want my family to intervene. I would hope I could trust their judgment at that time and deal with the new reality. If not, they can pull this column out of some musty file and show it to me.