If you are concerned about a loved one's driving safety, consider riding as a passenger to get a real understanding of their abilities and possible difficulties. Here are some direct warning signs:
- Straddling lanes or weaving
- Missing stop signs or traffic signals
- Driving too slowly compared to others
- Speeding or making impulsive, unwise decisions
- Confusing the gas and brake pedals
- Not turning to check behind before changing lanes
- Having other drivers honk or pass regularly
Situations to look out for:
- Trouble with vision or hearing.?Problems seeing lane lines or pedestrians, overlooking stop signs, or misjudging the speed of oncoming traffic are signs of vision or hearing concerns. Other signs include discomfort with glare or driving at night.
- Inability to twist or turn easily.?Arthritis and stiff muscles can make it painful to turn and look when needed. This can lead to trouble when backing up, changing lanes, or merging with traffic.
- Medication use.?Many medicines can slow thinking and response time. Drugs for depression and anxiety can have these effects, as can sleeping pills and medicines for heart conditions, colds, and allergies.
- Dementia.?At "early" stages, many individuals can still drive safely. Ask the doctor about a driving skills evaluation by an occupational therapist.
- Relying upon a passenger for help. If your relative requires assistance to drive safely—for example, to see if anyone is in the adjacent lane before changing lanes—they should not be driving.
- Two or more tickets in the past two years.?Consider tickets a yellow warning light. Common infractions include poor parking, running a stop sign, or driving the wrong way on a one-way street.
- Two or more accidents in the past two years.?Parking-lot and sideswipe accidents indicate driver error. Poor depth perception also causes older adults to have a very high rate of left-turn accidents.
If you are an older adult with concerns or if your family or friends are expressing concerns, you may want to download the American Automobile Association's "Drivers 65 Plus" self-assessment.
Want to talk about safe driving?
Contact the experts in eldercare:
