Taking the Keys from an Older Driver

Consumer Reports, January, 2011 edition, discusses issues surrounding when the keys should be taken from an older driver. Being able to drive is important to independence but at times it is clearly reasonable to stop an older driver from hurting himself or others.

Seventy-eight percent (78%) of Americans seventy (70) and older had driver’s license in 2008, according to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety. This up from seventy-three (73%) percent in 1997, a trend expected to continue as baby boomers age.

Several skills, specifically vision, response time and neuromuscular control, worsen with age. It is also clear that driving skills can deteriorate as cognitive abilities – memory, language, perception, reasoning and thinking – decline. People with mild dementia are higher risk drivers, but as many as seventy-six (76%) percent are still able to pass driving tests, according to a report. Drivers with dementia may not know when it is time to restrict or stop driving and they are unlikely to benefit from retraining or vehicle modification. The challenge then is for families and medical experts to identify unsafe drivers without restricting those who are able to drive safely.

In April 2010, the American Academy of Neurology issued guidelines to help doctors decide when a patient with dementia should stop driving. The guidelines also offer a few indicators of decreased driving ability: a crash in the past year to five (5) years, a traffic citation in the past two (2) or three (3) years, or an aggressive or impulsive personality. Other ailments that can impede driving include glaucoma, angina, arthritis, respiratory illness and neurologic conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.

In order to avoid tragedy, family and caregivers should discuss a loved one’s recent driving history and health and solicit observations about driving behaviors. Before someone suffers injury, it may be a good idea to take a ride with your parent and see whether you would feel comfortable putting your little one in the backseat with this older driver.