Time to Hang Up the Car Keys?
It's a sensitive subject for many families, but a very important one: how do you know when it's time for you or your loved one to limit or stop driving?
While there is no legal age at which you must stop driving, changes to your health can affect your driving. Medical conditions such as dementia (including Alzheimer's disease), vision or hearing impairment, stroke, Parkinson's disease, arthritis and diabetes, can affect driving performance, as can conditions that require medications that could impair driving ability, such as anti-anxiety drugs, narcotics and sleeping pills.
Rather than relying on disease-specific reasons for giving up driving, it may be better to review driving performance. It could be time to give up the keys if you (or your loved one) experience any of the following:
Your reactions are noticeably slower than they used to be
You find traffic conditions increasingly stressful
Your eyesight is getting worse
You have a medical condition that may affect your ability to drive safely
You stop at green lights or when there is no stop sign
You get confused by traffic signals
You run stop signs or red lights
You have accidents or side-swipe other cars when parking
You get lost and call family or friends for directions
Your friends or acquaintances express concern about your driving
Many consider the ultimate driving litmus to be whether or not you would feel safe transporting children. If the answer is "no", clearly you should consider giving up driving. Before that point, one or more of the following driving restrictions may be an alternative to completely abandoning driving:
Avoid driving at night and in bad weather
Drive only in familiar places
Drive only within a certain radius of home
Stay off expressways
Limit distractions while driving: turn off the radio, avoid conversations with passengers, and never text or use a cell phone while driving
If you're still unsure, the AARP offers a free online seminar called "We Need to Talk", that can help you determine how to assess your loved one's driving skills and provide tools to help you start this important conversation.
