If you’ve ever realized someone you love shouldn’t be driving anymore before they’ve arrived at the same conclusion, you know the debates, the anger, and the frustration that can follow.
Our driving careers go through a lot of stages, and most of us recognize each stage has its own challenges. Teenagers with little or no experience can make for white-knuckled waits until they get home; driving with small kids having a meltdown in the backseat is a terrible distraction; middle age brings lots of experience, but bad habits long ingrained. But the most contentious discussion is always the one about seniors and driving.
Ontario legislation is weak, and while doctors are required by law to report any patient who poses a risk on the road, failure to do so frequently becomes an issue only after the patient has caused injury or death behind the wheel. Doctors are in the position of playing – literally – bad cop, and risk alienating or enraging patients determined to hold onto their licences. With no road testing being done by the ministry, seniors often pass a written test confident their skills are intact. Family members often know otherwise.
While it’s teens who are involved in twice as many fatal collisions, it is seniors who have the highest crash rate per kilometre driven. This makes the most frequent self-policing (no night driving, no highways, no rush hour) also the most misleading: it’s not where or when they’re driving, it’s if they’re driving when they shouldn’t be, period. More of us are living longer, and as we see attendant rates of dementia and cognitive impairment climbing, the lack of political will to tackle the problem (remember: seniors vote, and politicians hate risking votes), it will become more incumbent on families and seniors themselves to take action.
We can’t avoid it, so we might as well start making it more positive and more palatable. Surprisingly (or maybe not), it’s seniors themselves who can turn the equation around, according to psychologist and rehabilitation specialist Dr. Louisa Gembora, who also spent 3 seasons as an expert on Canada’s Worst Driver.
“It’s clear that impairment, from many things, can be found at any age. It’s important not to dismiss that and only concentrate on seniors. But the fact is that after age 85, it’s cognitive impairment that jumps to about 34%.” Defined as “[affecting] the ability to think, concentrate, formulate ideas, reason and remember”, it is easy to see why we need to reframe the problem to find more creative solutions.
We all experience a deterioration in function as we age; it’s normal, and we anticipate it and take precautions in most other areas of our lives. The same way we start monitoring for health concerns we once ignored, as drivers we need to accept that our reflexes will slow and things like our sight and hearing might be diminishing.
Dr. Gembora offers some signs older drivers need to take note of, and prepare for:
- Friends or family won’t drive with you, or express concern in doing so
- If you notice you’re increasing the volume on TVs or phones, and loved ones want your hearing checked, you are at increased risk to miss many cues on the road, from unexplained scrapes and dents to sirens
- Driving too slowly, yet believing everyone else is simply too fast. Timidity is dangerous
- Forgetfulness; overlooking car maintenance and not noticing problems before they become dangerous
- Physical limitations, like being unable to turn your head or properly engage the pedals
The good news? At any age, but especially as drivers age, they can be proactive. Look into private or class instruction, an afternoon, a weekend or several days that will brush up skills, introduce new techniques and automotive changes, and keep sharp. If you have existing health issues, there are special instructors trained as Driver Rehab Specialists. There are many options for adjusting your skillset so you can keep driving; these instructors are also the professionals who will tell you if it’s time to get out from behind the wheel. Above all, doing this before you’re having a showdown in your doctor’s office or in your home means you take it seriously, and will welcome a fair evaluation and instruction that will protect you and everyone else on the road.
Families need to consider what a licence means to the person they’re concerned about. Independence, freedom and pride are all things none of us will surrender easily. The increased risk of isolation must be addressed, as well day to day activities we all take for granted. Impairment comes in many forms, and is a problem across the spectrum, but aging brings some unique challenges. We’re all going to get there; it’s time to reframe the discussion away from stereotypes and sweeping generalizations so we can keep good drivers fit and unsafe drivers in the passenger seat.
Nice article about aging drivers. Dr.Gembora’s comments are helpful. It used to be that drivers had to be re-tested yearly after 80 years old. When the government awarded driver testing to a contractor, they changed the rules. Now seniors re-write the rules of the road test, and sit through a talk regarding what to watch for as they get older.
My mother is 91 and continues to drive. I get her to drive a route I select randomly and see how she does. She has decided to not drive on major highways anymore, and stays off the roads in bad weather. I think she’ll know when it’s time to quit. But as Dr. Gembora has suggested, some may not realize when it’s time to stop driving.
Who’s more dangerous, the little old lady in the slow lane, the drunk driver, the sleep deprived parent, or the teenager with three friends in the car and the music booming?
I think the problem, Pat, is that the parent knows they’re tried and shouldn’t be driving, the drunk knows he’s shouldn’t be driving, and the teens are told repeatedly (and not just through their insurance rates) that they suck. The problem is that cognitive impairment means for some older folks, they have no idea at all that they shouldn’t be driving.
It’s a tough one. It’s not about willful stubbornness (though there is that); it’s about no longer being able to discern what is truly safe.
The issue is also compounded by the fact that cognitive impairment isn’t necessarily readily apparent – it can take years for some of the signs to become obvious to others. Some people are really good at ‘hiding’ their deficiencies for a really long time.
That, and the fact that it’s hard for family members to come to grips with the fact that mum or dad aren’t the people they used to be. A fair bit of denial comes into play here too.
My Mom was fiercely independent about driving even as her eyesight deteriorated from macular degeneration. One very cold Jan day she misplaced her car keys and walked miles home from a Dr’s appointment. Her keys were in the car all the while. My brother came to live with her after that and one of the first things she did was surrender her keys to him. It was sad that she had to do that but at least she realized she couldn’t drive anymore without having us force the issue.
Incredibly complicated issue. We need guidelines, enforcement, support and awareness.