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Most people want to continue driving as long as we can do so safely. However, for many of us, the time comes when we must limit or stop driving, either temporarily or permanently. Clarify the decision about curtailing time behind the wheel by considering the following guidelines.

What are the warning signs that someone should begin to limit driving or to stop altogether?

• Feeling uncomfortable and nervous or fearful while driving
• Finding dents and scrapes on the car, on fences, mailboxes, garage doors, curbs, and the like
• Having difficulty staying in the travel lane
• Getting lost 
• Having trouble paying attention to traffic signals, road signs, and pavement markings
• Responding more slowly to unexpected situations 
• Living with medical conditions or taking medications that affect the ability to handle a car safely
• Almost crashing with frequent "close calls"
• Misjudging gaps in traffic at intersections and on highway entrance and exit ramps
• Experiencing road rage or having other drivers frequently honk at you
• Hearing friends or relatives say they do not want to drive with you
• Not seeing the sides of the road when looking straight ahead
• Easily becoming distracted or having a hard time concentrating while driving
• Having a hard time turning around to check over your shoulder while backing up or changing lanes
• Receiving many traffic tickets or warnings from traffic or law enforcement officers in a one- or two-year period
  

If you notice one or more of these cautionary signs, you may wish to hire a professional to assess your driving or you might want to attend a driving refresher class. It is also a good idea to talk to your doctor if you have concentration or memory problems or other physical symptoms that lessen your driving ability.

How Can I Help Someone Else Limit or Stop Driving?

Most drivers monitor themselves and gradually limit or stop driving when they fear a certain driving situation or feel that driving in general is not safe. However, some people do not recognize declining abilities or they fear that driving less or not at all will make them dependent on others for the necessities of life. They also worry that curtailing use of the car may reduce their social and leisure activities. In addition, conditions such as dementia or the early stages of Alzheimer’s' disease may make some drivers unable to evaluate their driving.

Here’s how to help someone make the difficult decision to stop getting behind the wheel:

Step 1 — Assess the situation. Review the 15 warning signs listed above. Ride with the person and observe driving habits firsthand.

Step 2 — Begin a series of conversations about driving with the driver. As people age, they tend to look first to family members, often their spouse and children, for candid advice about their health and well being. Talk early and often. Start your discussions out of a sincere sense of caring for the person's well being, and base it on things you have observed.

Step 3 — Suggest various options, depending on the degree of impairment. One size does not fit all. While cutting off driving may be the only answer in some cases, stopping too early can cause a person's overall health to decline prematurely. You may want to advise that they:

• Take a classroom refresher course, such as the AARP Driver Safety Program
• Order the AARP Driver Assessment Guide, "Older Driver Skill Assessment and Resource Guide: Creating Mobility Choices."
  
• Look for additional information from Web sites on behind-the-wheel assessment, counseling from private or public sources, remedial training, and/or adaptive equipment from an occupational therapist.
• Limit driving to certain times of day or to familiar areas.
• Encourage the driver to consider and gradually to begin using other methods of transportation, such as rides from family and friends, public transportation, paratransit services, taxis, or other public or private transportation options in your community. Accompany the person when he or she first tries alternate forms of transportation.
• Contact the local motor-vehicle office. Your state’s department of motor vehicles may have programs to evaluate individual driving abilities. There also may be special licensing alternatives. Remember, the goal is not to take a license away, but to help people keep driving as long as they safely can. Contact your state DMV for more information.
  

Step 4 – Seek additional help if necessary. If the driver you know is not taking steps to respond to your concerns and should his or her impairment become increasingly obvious, it may be necessary to involve the driver's doctor.