Driving Issues (Aging) « Aging Issues
Driving Issues for Elderly Drivers
- 7 Tips for Older Drivers (Mayo Clinic)
Driving can sometimes be challenging for older adults. Follow these driver safety tips, from taking good care of yourself to planning ahead and updating your skills. - AARP Driver Safety Program
Cars have changed. So have the traffic rules, driving conditions, and the roads you travel every day. Some drivers age 50-plus have never looked back since they got their first driver's licenses, but even the most experienced benefit from brushing up on their driving skills. Locate a program near you or register for the online course. - Alzheimer's, Dementia & Driving (Hartford)
This is a booklet on Alzheimer's disease and dementia, and how such degenerative diseases affect older person's ability to drive. Also includes a "contract" for the elderly person to complete with his/her family on driving. - AMA Physician's Guide to Assessing and Counseling Older Drivers (AMA)
Developed by the American Medical Association in cooperation with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. - Assessing and Counseling Older Drivers (American Medical Assn.)
To assist physicans in evalulating the ability of older patients to operate a motor vehicle safely as part of their everyday, personal activities. - Driver Education (AARP)
Links and info about driver safety classes, courses, what older drivers need to know, etc. - Driving Safely While Aging Gracefully (NHTSA)
Most older people are capable and have a lifetime of valuable driving experience. For these reasons, decisions about a person's ability to drive should never be based on age alone. However, changes in vision, physical fitness and reflexes may cause safety concerns. People who accurately assess these changes can adjust their driving habits so that they stay safe on the road, or choose other kinds of transportation. This booklet, developed by the USAA Educational Foundation, AARP, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, outlines the physical effects of aging, as well as tips on coping with them so that you remain a safe driver as long as you can. - How to Improve Seniors' Driving Skills (Edmonds.com)
The dangers posed by senior drivers — combined with the difficulty of figuring out when they have reached the point of posing a risk — are spurring unprecedented efforts to come up with solutions. These initiatives to improve seniors' driving skills include more self-limited driving, improvement classes, vision adjustments, physical rehabilitation, cognitive-skills enhancement and tougher licensing laws. Here's a look at some of what researchers, insurers, not-for-profit associations, health-care organizations, government agencies and seniors themselves are doing in each area. - Motor Vehicle Related Injuries Among Older Adults: A Growing Public Health Concern (Centers for Disease Control)
In a recent issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, researchers from CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control summarized 1990–1997 surveillance data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on motor vehicle–related injuries and fatalities among older adults. - Old People Driving – A Documentary (Time Goes By – 10/6/10)
It is one the greatest fears elders have – to give up driving, losing the freedom and convenience we have experienced all our lives and to become dependent on friends, relatives or public transportation (which isn't all that good in many places) for everything we need or want to do away from home. A new documentary film titled, Old People Driving, sensitively explores the emotional and psychological aspects of giving up driving. - Older Adult Drivers: Fact Sheet (Centers for Disease Control)
In 2007, there were 31 million licensed drivers ages 65 and older in the United States. Driving helps older adults stay mobile and independent. But the risk of being injured or killed in a motor vehicle crash increases as you age. An average of 500 older adults are injured every day as occupants of motor vehicles. Thankfully, there are steps that older adults can take to stay safer on the roads. - Senior Drivers.Org (AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety)
awebsite portal for senior drivers, their families, researchers, and alternative transportation providers. - Senior Driving: Safety Tips, Warning Signs, and Knowing When to Stop (HelpGuide.org)
Driver safety is an important and often sensitive issue for seniors. The changes of normal aging can sometimes interfere with the ability to drive. Learn to reduce these risk factors. - Talking With Your Aged Parent About Driving
As our parents age, it is normal to worry about their safety while driving. As difficult as it is, if you have reason to believe that your parents could be dangerous behind the wheel, it's important to deal with the issue sooner rather than later — because later could be too late. - The Aging Parent Driving Dilemma (Parent Giving)
Driving for most of us represents freedom, independence and control and allows us to go where we want to and have the experiences we would liketo have. But driving is a sophisticated skill which required complex cognitive functioning. It’s important that your begin a dialogue with your parent about driving. - The DriveABLE Assessment
For assessing the medically-at-risk and geriatric driver, an evidence-based decision about a patient's fitness to drive. - When to Stop Driving (AARP)
For many of us the time may come when we must limit or stop driving, either temporarily or permanently. The following advice may be able to assist you or someone you care about. - Why are Older Drivers at Risk? (American Medical Assn.)
- Older drivers have a higher risk of traffic fatalities for two reasons. First, drivers age 75 and older are involved in significantly more motor vehicle crashes per mile driven than middle-aged drivers. Second, older drivers are considerably more fragile than their younger counterparts, and are therefore more likely to suffer a fatal injury in the event of a crash.
