AARP Hearing Center

Getting older isn't necessarily a reason to give up driving, but it may be a reason to carefully consider how well your loved one is doing behind the wheel.
Studies show “we will probably outlive our ability to drive safely by approximately 7 to 10 years,” says Scott Trudeau, director of practice engagement at the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), who has evaluated the abilities of older drivers.
As we age, our reaction time slows and our vision, hearing, and coordination decrease. In addition, medical conditions such as arthritis, cardiovascular disease, dementia, glaucoma and macular degeneration, Parkinson's disease, and stroke can compromise a person's driving abilities.
“The more medications you take and the more medical conditions you have, the more at risk you are with driving,” says Gary J. Kennedy, director of geriatric psychiatry at the Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.
Not all older adults will hand over the keys at the appropriate time. "As we get older, we tend to develop a more positive outlook on things. The problem is, it gives us a false sense of security when it comes to things like driving,” says Gary J. Kennedy, director of geriatric psychiatry at the Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.
If you’re concerned about your loved ones driving, here are six ways to address the issue.
1. Take a ride with your loved one
To get a sense of your loved one’s road sense, ride along with them as they run an errand, suggests Sara M. Bradley, an associate professor of general internal medicine and geriatrics at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
If red flags appear during the drive broach the conversation later by gently pointing out that you're concerned about your loved one's vulnerability on the road and ability to protect passengers from other, potentially more aggressive drivers.
Noting that the cognitive or motor-skills changes they're experiencing put them at greater risk from other drivers is “a better way to frame it than saying, ‘You're not safe,'” Kennedy says. “That way, they're less to blame.”
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