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10 Warning Signs It May Be Time to Retire from Driving

May 4, 2016 By Jessica Leave a Comment

In this 3-part series, we tackle the often sensitive issue of older drivers. In Part 1, we explored common myths and facts about older drivers. Here, in Part 2, we consider the warning signs that it may be time for an older driver to stop or limit driving. Some of these warning signs act as a key indication for when to retire from driving. Part 3 will focus on things you can do and ways for family members to talk to their older loved ones about such a sensitive topic.

Consider this scenario:

Image of a steering wheelYou are on your way to a family event and your 84-year old father is driving. Just a few blocks from home, he runs a stop sign and doesn’t even notice. A little while later, he almost hits another car while changing lanes.

This is not the first time you have witnessed close calls. You tell him that you are concerned about his safety and the safety of others.

You ask him if maybe he should think about not driving anymore.

He reacts defensively and angrily. He says his driving is just fine and tells you to mind your own business.

And you think to yourself, maybe I’m making too much out of nothing. Maybe he is still ok to drive. You yourself had a close call just last week. You’re not sure what you should do.

Does this scenario sound familiar to you? Have you ever had concerns about a parent or grandparent continuing to drive? Maybe you’ve witnessed some close calls while they were driving. Or maybe you have noticed lately that your older parent gets confused sometimes when they’re on the road.

This can become a tricky and gut-wrenching issue for families. Older adults do not want to give up the car keys which they consider to be the keys to their independence, and rightly so. And, they may tell you that they are doing just fine with their driving.

You may suspect that something is wrong, but you’re just not sure and you don’t want to be the bearer of bad news. At the same time, you care about your parent’s safety and the safety of others on the road.

One of the key questions in this situation is when to retire from driving. After all, the issues that an older adult experiences with driving may seem fairly small at first but they could easily turn into an event that puts their life, and the lives of others, at risk.

Here are 10 warning signs that it may be time for a person to retire from, or to at least limit, driving:

  • Frequent “close calls” or fender benders
  • Not stopping at stop signs or for red lights; alternately, stopping at green lights
  • Confusing the gas pedal and the brake pedal
  • Confusion and disorientation; for example, getting lost in familiar locations, such as their own neighborhood
  • Not looking or signaling before changing lanes or merging onto highways and freeways
  • Having difficulty seeing other cars, pedestrians, highway exit and entrance ramps, pavement markings, or road signs, particularly when driving at night
  • Having several traffic warnings, tickets, near misses, and/or accidents
  • Having difficulty judging gaps in traffic at an intersection
  • You notice little dings and damage to their car
  • Family members and friends do not feel safe riding with the older driver; they refuse to ride or to let their children ride with the older driver

These warning signs do not necessarily mean that an older driver needs to stop driving altogether. But, these signs do mean that it is time for them to consider the possibility that they should stop driving, and to take steps to limit driving or to improve driver safety.

There are several potential steps that you and the older driver can consider taking. Briefly, some options may be for the older driver to make adaptations (e.g., limit their driving to daytime or to local roads), take a driver safety test, enroll in a driver safety course, talk to their doctor, or ultimately retire from driving.

In Part 3, we will consider these potential steps in more detail and provide strategies for having the conversation with your parent.

(Sources: Virginia Division for the Aging; AARP)

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About Jessica

Dr. McIlvane has over 20 years of experience. Over the course of her career, Dr. McIlvane has performed extensive field research on aging and health, having interviewed and learned from hundreds of older adults about the triumphs and challenges that come with aging.

You can read more about her background here.

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