Should the senior in your life be driving?

Driving requires one’s full attention, despite numerous potential visual, manual and cognitive distractions that can impact anyone at any age.   Let’s take a closer look at the types of distractions that may impact one’s driving:

1. Visual distractions: taking your eyes off the road.
2. Manual distractions: taking your hands off the wheel
3. Cognitive distractions: taking your mind off what you’re doing.

As seniors age, their visual, manual and cognitive skills decline making them more susceptible to distractions.  When you notice these skills slowing down, it’s time to have “the about limiting or stopping driving.”

To help you decide on the timing of taking the keys away, let’s look at some signs that driving may be dangerous.

Risky individual behavior:

• Does not stop at red lights or stop signs
• Stops at green lights
• Gets lost
• Concerns from people who have seen the senior driving
• Gets in accidents
• Problems with Alzheimer’s or Dementia
• Stroke victim
• Parkinson’s or severe arthritis
• Medication due to poor vision, anxiety, insomnia, or is on any form of narcotics.

If the senior can still drive but there are driving safety concerns:

Encourage them to:

• Drive in areas that are familiar to them
• Do not drive at night or in bad weather
• Stay off highways
• Limit any distractions while driving
• Set a limit of how far away from home they should drive.
• Have safety medical alert system with them at all times.

It is important that we keep our seniors and other drivers on the road safe.  These tips can help determine if a senior needs to look at the potential risks and see if they outweigh the benefits of driving.   And, perhaps with some help, they will conclude that it’s time to turn in their license.