How to Keep Driving

It’s all good news: According to an AARP Bulletin article by Warren Clarke, the number of people over 70 who have been killed in auto accidents has decreased by 18% in the last two decades.  Moreover, The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has shown that seniors today are involved in fewer crashes per mile traveled than in previous generations. As we get older, we no longer use our cars as assault vehicles. 

Part of this reduced rate has nothing to do with the number of seniors behind the wheel (actually, the number is up) but has more to do with the increased safety of vehicles, in particular, side-impact protection.  But while the overall statistics for driving when older shows fewer fatalities, you may still be at risk if you notice the following in your driving habits   Below you will find helpful advice for what you can do to improve your situation.

•Are currently taking medications that impede the ability to dive, such as drowsiness?
Ask your doctor if there are any medications that you can take that will eliminate these side effects.  Also ask her/him if restricting your driving to day-time or straight roads will help.

•Have you passengers expressed concern regarding your driving, telling you they feel unsafe when you are behind the wheel?
Hire a driver rehabilitation specialist to assess your driving abilities.  S/he may also offer suggestions for how to make your vehicle safer.  Take a course designed for seniors: it may also qualify you for a car insurance discount.

•Does driving make you feel anxious or stressed, especially with encroaching physical disabilities, such as turning your shoulder when changing lanes?
Many upgrades, including (but not limited to) larger mirrors, better warning systems, and superior braking systems and other technological advances have rendered driving more accessible and convenient for older people. You are getting older, but your car shouldn’t be a geriatric patient: install the upgrades if they do not come with them.  We don’t eat the same foods as our grandparents, neither should we be driving in their cars.

You and those you love (plus legal authorities) are the final arbiters that determine whether you should pass the car key to someone else and be driven around town.  But until then, keep driving.

Have any thoughts on the issue? Share them with us at www.MatureAging.com, and we may post them (only after getting your permission) in a future edition.

Till next time,

Josh