Prince Philip, the 97-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II of Britain, was involved in a car accident a few weeks ago. His Land Rover overturned and the women in the other car suffered minor injuries. It is widely believed that he was at fault.
Now Britain is wrestling with the same question we have been dealing with for years – When is it time to stop driving? It’s one of the most difficult issues of aging.
Though all of us are different, the aging process will in some way affect the driving habits and skills of most of our clients. The fatality rate for drivers 85 and older is nine times that of drivers 25 to 69.
Senior citizens usually have a tremendous fear of losing the ability to drive because of the freedom that driving affords. Their family members fear for the safety of both the driver and the public when their elderly family member is no longer able to drive safely.
The elderly drive less but have more accidents per mile driven. Chronic disease and functional impairment afflict older drivers at increasing rates. Eighty percent of those over 65 have at least one chronic illness, most of them two. Eighty percent of older drivers take at least one and often multiple prescription medications. Some of these medications can adversely affect driving abilities. It is helpful to remind our clients that regular physicians’ monitoring of medication is important as a general matter and essential for safe driving.
There is no question that public transportation in the South Florida area is poor But Lyft and Uber have revolutionized travel for seniors. And they have special phone numbers for people who don’t have smartphones!
Nonetheless, the inability to drive may well become an issue that families must confront. In my experience, families also fail to recognize and consider the huge costs of owning and maintaining a car that could be used for funding transportation alternatives. If you add the cost of owning, repairing, gassing, maintaining and insuring a car, that’s a lot of Lyfts!
If a driver exhibits one or more of the following behaviors on more than one occasion an assessment of some kind is in order.
1. Inappropriate driving speeds.
2. Needs help or instructions from passengers.
3. Fails to observe signs or signals.
4. Slow or poor decisions.
5. Easily frustrated or confused.
6. Pattern of getting lost even in familiar areas.
7. Accidents or near misses.
8. Drifting across lane markings into other lanes.
I used to get in the car once a month with my father. He voluntarily stopped driving when his foot got stuck under one of the pedals.
Many lifetime events bring families into my office and the inability to drive or the belief that this is imminent is one of them. It’s a sign that we need to make sure that the plans for the care of our loved one is critical.
Today approximately 80 percent of the people over 65 have driver’s licenses and an ever-increasing number of elderly people are driving. The improved functional ability of older persons to live independently will also swell the number of older drivers.
Here are some resources to take advantage of.
Older drivers may benefit from driver refresher courses. The AARP driver safety program formerly called 55 Arrive is available (aarp.org/drive) as well as local programs such as the one from Florida Atlantic University. They can be contacted at 561 297 0502.
The FL Dept. of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has a brochure entitled “Transportation Lifetime Choices” www.hsmv.state.fl.us or contact Selma Sauls at 850 487 0867.
Physicians have the option of recommending reassessment, intervention or remediation. Florida statutes section 322.126 provides that “any physician, person, or agency having knowledge of any licensed driver’s…mental or physical disability to drive..is authorized to report such knowledge to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.” This report is confidential. It is made on HSMV form 72190 (www.hsmv.state.fl.us) or by contacting Division of Driver’s Licenses, 850 921 6147.
