| Elderly Driver Injures 6; 90 Year-Old Crashes | | | | member to take a ride at different times of |
| Into Day Care; Cheerleader Killed By Senior. | | | | the day you will have a pretty good idea of |
| | | | how the driving is doing. |
| Seen any headlines like these lately? Of | | | | |
| course, it's not true that all drivers over | | | | Combine your observations and make a list of |
| the age of 65, or even 85, are dangerous | | | | specific things you observed. |
| drivers. It's no more true than thinking that | | | | |
| all drivers under the age of 21, or all | | | | If your driver's physician has made the |
| drivers from New Jersey are accidents waiting | | | | recommendation that driving be curtailed or |
| to happen. | | | | stopped, do your best to get a copy of this |
| | | | recommendation in writing. |
| But it usually comes to pass that aging | | | | |
| drivers do lose physical and or mental | | | | Work out alternate transportation |
| agility, and we need to be keeping an eye on | | | | arrangements before you approach your driver. |
| our aging loved ones to be sure that they're | | | | You will want to be able to offer practical |
| still safe and confident behind the wheel. | | | | alternatives to taking the car if you will be |
| | | | asking or demanding that he or she stop |
| Some elderly drivers will begin cutting back | | | | driving. Finding convenient alternatives may |
| on their driving on their own. Others may not | | | | be a challenge, but this should never be an |
| recognize that their skills are | | | | excuse for procrastinating about getting a |
| deteriorating. These are the drivers who | | | | dangerous driver off the road. |
| regularly overestimate their abilities, | | | | |
| blaming poorly designed roads, hard-to-see | | | | Most experts recommend that you talk with |
| traffic signs, or other drivers for their | | | | your elderly driver as a concerned and loving |
| near misses and fender-benders. | | | | group. Often one member of the family group |
| | | | will be the most obvious spokesperson. |
| Family members are naturally reluctant to | | | | Sometimes it is the person with whom the |
| step into such an emotionally loaded subject. | | | | driver has the best relationship. Sometimes, |
| But when it becomes obvious that an older | | | | though, if the conversation is guaranteed to |
| driver is having a hard time on the road, | | | | end poorly, a better spokesperson is the |
| whether admitted or not, something must be | | | | family member who lives the most distant and |
| done to protect the lives of both the senior | | | | who is least likely to have to "hear about |
| driver and other people. | | | | it" daily. |
| | | | |
| Many family members may have concerns about a | | | | Your elderly driver's response will depend on |
| senior's driving abilities, but they have no | | | | many things, including whether this issue has |
| hard evidence one way or the other. If your | | | | been discussed before and his or her physical |
| older driver has had a serious traffic | | | | and emotional health. Don't allow yourselves |
| accident or has received a ticket for a | | | | to be drawn into an argument, and don't be |
| moving violation, then of course driving has | | | | surprised if your driver's reaction is |
| to stop immediately. If you don't have this | | | | extremely negative or even abusive. |
| kind of evidence, taking several rides with | | | | Retreating from what you know needs to be |
| your senior driver the logical first step. | | | | done to protect both your elderly driver and |
| After your rides make notes of what you | | | | the others on the road will only make the |
| observed. If you can get more than one family | | | | discussion even more difficult the next time. |