Too Old To Drive? Questions To Ask Yourself.

Driving is an essential part for anyone’s life, but what if you – or someone you know – has become too old to drive? With such instances occurring all too often, some drivers eventually become too old to drive and need assistance for transportation. Thankfully, there’s plenty of options to assess whether or not driving is safe for you – or a loved one – who has been around for a while. With this being said, here’s some information regarding old age and driving.

Difficulties With Age

For some people, old age is nothing but a number and has no effect on their driving whatsoever. However, some people loose their physical and mental mobility earlier than others. So with no clear age as to when a person should give up driving, it all comes down to how an individual can operate a vehicle. If medical diagnosis isn’t clear to decide whether or not a person is fit to drive, there’s a few ways to decipher this dilemma such as paying attention to their behaviors behind the wheel. Such elderly issues could be:

• A loss in the driver’s confidence
• A hard time turning as they back up
• A shorter attention span as they drive
• Bumping or hitting the curb
• Being honked/yelled at by other drivers
• Accumulating scratches/dings on the car or nearby parking areas
• Forgetting to obey traffic signs or signals
• A delayed response in times of urgency
• Difficulty staying in lane at appropriate times
• Getting lost easily in familiar places
• Accident

As these are only a few of the problems that could come along with a trip to the grocery store, riding along may be needed to decide if your loved one needs a chauffeur or to avoid vehicles all together. However, if you happen to be the driver with a few extra miles under your belt, there’s still some ways to assure yourself that you’re as sharp as ever.

Old Age, New Tests

Since there’s plenty of grey areas (no pun intended) regarding the age limit of a driver, some states require testing at certain ages for assurance that the driver is capable of driving safely with others. However, some elders posed with the idea of their transportation being taken away will taken with great resistance before handing over any car keys. If this is so, explaining to them as to why they could be at risk driving can be easily answered in the few questions below:

• Ask questions, yet don’t make demands for them not to drive
• Explain the other routes of safer travel (taxi, bus, etc.)
• Explain how much money they’ll save without a car
• Offer them visits and/or rides
• Explain to them how unsafe they’d feel if a dangerous driver was on the road

Although these are only a few questions that could be asked to an elderly driver, they may not respond well to the evidence presented to them. If so, it may need some more coaxing before they hand over the keys and giving up driving. If you’re looking for validation regarding why they should stop driving, suggesting a driving class may not sound like such a bad idea for the elderly person that doesn’t know how to stop. Not only someone else is telling them they should quit, but their problems will be present – and under judgment – during a driver’s test.

So considering the information above, it shows that there’s a few things to consider before you or a loved one jumps behind the wheel at an old age. If they feel capable of proving they’re a great driver, enrolling them in registered traffic school or applying in a defensive driver‘s course will not only help them become a safer driver, but keep your driving costs to a minimal in terms of accidents and tickets. With it looking great on a record, a registered driver course for seniors is well worth the generous amount of safety information it provides to the driver… proving that it’s possible to teach an old dog new tricks.

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