We are dedicated to keeping seniors driving for as long as safely possible. Tips and tools that will help you evaluate your driving ability, improve your driving skills, understand the effects of aging; maintain your mobility and independence, and much more.

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When you ride along with an older driver to look for signs of poor driving, keep in mind it doesn’t necessarily mean the person should not drive. Often, poor driving behaviors can be improved with training or by addressing an underlying medical condition that affects driving. A trained medical professional can help identify treatment options that may help improve – not limit – safe driving ability.

Here are common warning signs:

• Does the senior driver confuse the gas and brake pedals or have difficulty working them? Drivers who lift their legs to move from the accelerator to the brake, rather than keeping a heel on the floor and pressing with the toes, may be signaling waning leg strength.
• Does the senior driver seem to ignore or miss stop signs and other traffic signals? Perhaps the driver is inattentive or cannot spot the signs in a crowded, constantly moving visual field.
• Does the senior driver weave between or straddle lanes? Signaling incorrectly or not at all when changing lanes can be particularly dangerous, especially if the driver fails to check mirrors or blind spots.
• Do other senior drivers honk or pass frequently, even when the traffic stream is moving relatively slowly? This may indicate difficulty keeping pace with fast-changing conditions.
• Does the senior driver get lost or disoriented easily, even in familiar places? This could indicate problems with working memory or early cognitive decline.

If you ride with a driver who exhibits one or more of the warning signs, consider discussing the benefits of getting a comprehensive driving assessment to help identify and address any risky driving behaviors and maximize safe driving.

Most people know when their driving skills and abilities aren’t as sharp as they used to be. Two of the most common coping mechanisms used by unsafe senior drivers include:

• Using a “copilot” to help respond to situations in the driving environment. Anyone who cannot drive safely and comfortably without a copilot should not drive at all.
• Driving too slow or too fast for conditions. Driving too slow can be a sign that the driver is compensating for slowed reflexes or reduced reaction time. Those who drive too fast may not realize how fast they are traveling or be overcompensating due to a fear of being noticed for driving too slowly.

Plan Ahead

Because driving is closely tied to freedom and independence, acknowledging the possibility of one day being unable to drive is difficult for almost anybody. This is why it’s important to prepare for a conversation about safe driving.

• Do your homework. Complete the following checklist before initiating a conversation about safe driving with an older adult.
• Conduct a “ride-along” with the driver. Join the driver as a passenger during several trips and note your thoughts and observations – both positive and negative. Try to ride with the older adult at different times to get a good sense of driving performance under a variety of road conditions.
• Consult those with special knowledge. Discuss your concerns with a law enforcement officer, an elder-law attorney or a geriatrician about any concerns and seek advice tailored to your specific situation before you have a conversation about safe driving. Collect information about local options for a professional driving assessment and driver retraining courses.
• Understand the older adult’s transportation needs. Determine the purposes for the older adult’s driving. Consider medical appointments, social obligations, religious commitments, shopping and community activities. Doing so will help you to appreciate how important driving is to the senior driver and assist you in finding transportation alternatives.
• Determine local transportation services. Generate a list of different services available, the cost to use them, scheduling, phone numbers and so forth to share when you initiate the conversation about safe driving. Try taking trips on several of these services, so you understand how to use them and whether or not they are convenient and easy to use and access.
• Write it all down. Once you’ve completed your research, organize the information. Use it to develop an action plan for your conversation about safe driving. Then, after you have had a productive conversation, document the plan you and the older adult mutually agreed to pursue and review it together for accuracy.

Conversations About Driving

Initiating a conversation about safe driving with an older driver, especially a parent, is challenging for most people. Concerns about offending or alienating an older driver are normal. There is no simple or easy way to address the subject, but if you want to help preserve the older driver’s personal freedom and mobility, while ensuring safety on the road, there are steps you can take.

• Communicate openly and respectfully. Nobody wants to be called a dangerous driver, so avoid making generalizations about older drivers or jumping to conclusions about their skills or abilities behind the wheel. Be positive, be supportive and focus on ways to help keep them safely on the go.
• Avoid an intervention. Keep the discussion between you and the older driver you want to assist. Inviting the whole family to the conversation will alienate and possibly anger the person you’re trying to help.
• Make privacy a priority. Always ask for permission to speak with an older driver’s physician, friends or neighbors about the driver’s behavior behind the wheel.
• Never make assumptions. Focus on the facts available to you, such as a medical condition or medication regimen that might make driving unsafe. Do not accuse an older driver of being unsafe or assume that driving should be stopped altogether. Focus the conversation on safe driving and working together.

Use this Driver Planning Agreement as a guide for your conversation about safe driving. It allows your family to plan together for future changes in driving abilities before they become a concern.

Deal With Negative Reactions

Despite your best efforts to appropriately handle a conversation about driving, some older adults will respond with anger, denial or embarrassment. Review these quick tips to keep the conversation productive.

Sometimes, an older driver’s fear of having to depend on others to get around will override your efforts to be caring and supportive. Alternatively, the older driver you’re trying to help might simply deny having any problems with driving despite a mountain of evidence suggesting otherwise.

If you find yourself dealing with negative reactions like these, review the following tips:

• Do not become defensive. Be a good listener and let the older driver express any feelings and emotions. This may help you to understand how and why the conversation has been upsetting.
• Respond with empathetic phrases. State, “I understand how this is upsetting,” or, “Let’s focus on what we can do to help keep you safe without limiting when and where you want to go.”
• Do not lecture or demand that an older driver give up the keys. The more you alienate your listener, the less you will be able to help.
• Be objective. Encourage the older driver to check safe driving skills and abilities by taking a self-rating program or getting an assessment from a professional.
• Work together to agree on a plan of action. If you initiate the conversation about safe driving early – before any problems exist – the transition from driver to passenger can be very gradual. It might begin with self-imposed restrictions on when or where the older driver chooses to drive. It may progress to building up a comfort level in using other forms of transportation before there’s a need to depend on them. This plan also could provide enough time to move the older driver’s residence, so there would be a very limited need to drive at all in the future.

Source: Some of the content on this page was developed using information provided by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Help Mature Drivers Stay Independent 

Is your parent or another senior in your life ready to limit or stop driving? Depending on where they live, seniors often have many ways to get around without driving, including such transportation services as shuttles, public transport and rides from family and friends. And even if they simply want to drive less often, there might be additional options available besides asking family or friends to help.

Finding out more about local mobility choices – even before they are needed – can allow you to help a senior driver plan for the day when it makes sense to limit or stop driving, just like planning ahead for financial and health care needs in retirement. Check with your local Department of Highway Safety or Area Agency on Aging for local resources.

Carpooling

Carpooling or ridesharing can be a fast and convenient way to get around without driving. All you need is at least one other person headed to the same locations or at least willing to accommodate your destinations if they are along the same route.

Why rideshare?

• It’s a great way to save money by reducing transportation costs.
• It’s easy, flexible and one of the fastest ways to get around without driving.
• You only need one other person to get started.
• It’s great for the environment, because fewer vehicles emit pollution.

If you don’t know anyone interested in ridesharing, try posting a message on your community bulletin board or talking with friends and neighbors to gauge interest.

Starting your own carpool or ridesharing arrangement

• Consider ridesharing on a trial basis for a few weeks or trips to determine if the arrangement works for you. Be flexible and reconsider your arrangements if they do not seem to be working.
• If necessary, agree on payment schedules. It’s very common for non-drivers to contribute to expenses. However, there may not be a need to exchange money if you trade the use of your car.
• If you don’t drive but still have your car, keep it in good condition. A dirty or unreliable car can become a deal breaker for members of your rideshare group.

Public & Local Transportation

When available, city buses, trams and subway systems are great ways to get around. Consider helping the older driver in your life build up a comfort level with public transportation services to prepare for a time when he or she may have to limit or stop driving. Learn more >>

Public & Local Transportation Services

If you cannot afford a taxi or it is difficult to walk to a bus stop, get into a shuttle van or go to a physician’s office without assistance, consider using local programs called supplemental transportation programs or STPs. These are low-cost, community-based informal transportation services for seniors and are highly responsive to individual needs.

Most STPs function independently and are not government-affiliated. They are staffed by volunteers and funded through grants and donations.

When selecting a senior-friendly program in your community, look for:

Availability

Choose transportation service programs that provide service when you need it. Can you get rides on evenings, weekdays and/or weekends?

Accessibility

Choose transportation service programs that you can reach and navigate. Are bus stairs negotiable? Are seats high enough? Does the vehicle come to your home? Are transit stops reachable?

Acceptability

Choose transportation service programs that are clean and safe. Is the vehicle that picks you up clean? Are transit stops located in safe areas? Are drivers courteous and helpful?

Affordability

Choose transportation service programs that you can afford. Always ask if vouchers or coupons are available to help reduce out-of-pocket expenses.

Adaptability

Choose transportation service programs that are willing and able to meet your special needs. Can the vehicle accommodate a wheelchair? Will the driver make multiple stops for you? Are escorts available to assist you if necessary?

Special Services

If a senior has a disability that prevents riding fixed-route buses or other forms of mass transit, paratransit services via specially equipped shuttles might be a solution. Learn more >>

Paratransit Services

If you have a disability that prevents you from using fixed-route buses or other forms of mass transit, paratransit services might help you get around your community. Specially equipped shuttles pick you up at your doorstep and take you to where you need to go – to the doctor, shopping or even a friend’s home.

In some cases, paratransit services provide an escort who remains at your side throughout your trip and can help carry items and ensure you get back into your home safely.

These transportation services are typically available at reduced fares for older adults and are offered by public transit agencies, aging organizations like senior centers or through private agencies. Contact the Eldercare Locator at www.eldercare.gov to identify these resources in your area.