Being able to drive allows people of all ages the freedom to be active and independent. As we become older, our eyesight, body, and cognitive abilities change and can impact our ability to drive safely. Older Driver Safety Awareness Week serves as a reminder to assess how you or your loved ones drive and opens the door for an honest conversation about driving and aging.

How Can Aging Affect Driving?

It’s important to keep in mind that aging looks different for everybody. What can affect someone’s ability to drive safely may not be a concern for someone else.

Aging tends to result in decreased vision, impaired hearing, slower motor reflexes, memory problems, and a reduction of strength, coordination, and flexibility, all of which can make driving safely difficult. For example, leg pain can make moving from the gas to the brake pedal quickly can be strenuous for some and neck pain can make it tough to look over your shoulder.

Having a conversation about a loved one’s driving can be difficult. Below, we’ve listed a few questions to help initiate the conversation.

• Have you recently received a ticket or citation for a driving violation?
• Have you recently been in an accident?
• Do you ever feel overwhelmed when driving?
• Do certain roads or routes ever confuse you while driving?

How to Approach a Loved One about Their Driving

While having a conversation about a loved one’s driving may be uncomfortable, if you’re concerned about their driving, it’s a conversation worth having. Follow these tips to have the most comfortable, productive conversation possible:

• Decide who is best suited to have this conversation with your loved one
  • You may be the one most concerned about their driving, but it’s important to choose someone they feel the most comfortable and open with. The goal is to make your loved one aware of your concerns, whether that comes directly from you or someone else.
• Find a good time
  • A one-on-one conversation is significantly less intimidating than a full-family intervention. Be sure to find a time your loved one is relaxed and alert, such as after having lunch together. If possible, begin having conversations about driving safety long before their driving has deteriorated. This will set the scene for the most open and comfortable conversation possible.
• Provide reasons
  • Make sure your loved one knows you’re concerned about their safety and health first and foremost. You open a conversation about driving by asking if they’ve been to an eye doctor recently, asking about any side effects of their medications (such as trouble sleeping or brain fog), or bringing up your concern about how others drive. This gives you a natural segue into talking about driving and how they’re doing on the road.
• Be supportive
  • If your loved one is concerned about losing independence, reassure them you’ll do everything you can to help them maintain independence. By focusing on the facts of their driving and health, you may be able to help them see your concerns without the fear of taking away their keys.
• Suggest a driving test
  • Most states offer skills evaluations and can give you a better idea of how one’s driving health is.
• Be prepared with alternative transportation suggestions
  • In the case of limited driving, consider:
    • Avoiding night driving and driving in bad weather
    • Driving in familiar places only
    • Staying off busy roads when possible
    • Turning off the radio
  • If driving is not an option:
    • Transportation services (private and local services are often available)
    • Taxis or ride-shares
    • Setting up a grocery delivery service
    • Working out a schedule to drive your loved one
    • Hiring a caretaker to assist with driving needs

Safe Driving Tips

These tips are useful for everybody but may be worth reminding your loved one about as they age.

• Always wear a seatbelt
• Mute your cell phone
• Don’t drive under the influence
  • Even one drink may make someone unsafe on the road, especially when combined with medications
• Don’t eat while driving
• Limit distractions
• Drive during daylight as much as possible
• Avoid driving in bad weather when possible
• Try to drive when there’s less traffic
• Avoid driving when stressed or tired

To learn more about older driver safety, click here.