When to Stop Driving
We want to continue driving as long as we can do so safely. However, for many of us the time may come when we must limit or stop driving, either temporarily or permanently. The following advice may be able to assist you or someone you care about.
Warning Signs
What are the warning signs when someone should begin to limit driving or stop altogether?
- Feeling uncomfortable and nervous or fearful while driving
- Dents and scrapes on the car or on fences, mailboxes, garage doors, curbs etc.
- Difficulty staying in the lane of travel
- Getting lost
- Trouble paying attention to signals, road signs and pavement markings
- Slower response to unexpected situations
- Medical conditions or medications that may be affecting the ability to handle the car safely
- Frequent "close calls" (i.e. almost crashing)
- Trouble judging gaps in traffics at intersections and on highway entrance/exit ramps
- Other drivers honking at you and instances when you are angry at other drivers
- Friends or relatives not wanting to drive with you
- Difficulty seeing the sides of the road when looking straight ahead
- Easily 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
- Frequent traffic tickets or "warnings" by traffic or law enforcement officers in the last year or two
If you notice one or more of these warning signs you may want to have your driving assessed by a professional or attend a driver refresher class (see resources at the bottom of this page). You may also want to consult with your doctor if you are having unusual concentration or memory problems, or other physical symptoms that may be affecting your ability to drive.
How Can I Help Someone Else Limit or Stop Driving?
Most drivers monitor themselves and gradually limit or stop driving when they feel that a certain driving situation or driving in general is not safe. However, some people fail to recognize declining abilities, or they fear stopping to drive because it will make them permanently dependent on others for the necessities of life, and it may reduce their social and leisure activities as well. Conditions such as dementia or early stages of Alzheimers' disease may make some drivers unable to evaluate their driving properly.
Step 1 – Assess the situation. See the 15 warning signs listed above. It will help to personally ride with the person and observe driving habits first hand.
Step 2 – Begin a process of having conversations about driving with the driver. As people age they tend to look first to family members (spouse and children) for candid advice concerning their well-being and health issues. Have conversations early and often. Start the conversation 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 and while stopping driving may be the only answer in some cases, stopping driving too early can cause a person's overall health to decline prematurely. includeYou may want to:
- 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." (See ordering information below.)
- Seek additional information from other Web sites on topics such as behind-the-wheel assessment, counseling from private or public sources, remedial training, and/or adaptive equipment from an occupational therapist. (See our Web Resources listing.)
- Limit driving to certain times of day or familiar areas.
- Encourage the driver to consider and gradually 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 during initial trials of alternate forms of transportation.
- Contact local motor vehicle office. Your state Department of Motor Vehicles may have programs to evaluate individual driving abilities or may offer special licensing alternatives. Remember, their goal is not to take licenses away, but to help people keep driving as long as they safely can. Contact the state for more information.
Step 4 – Seek additional help if necessary. If the person is not taking proper action in response to your concern and the impairment is increasingly obvious, it may be necessary to involve the driver's doctor. (In addition to family members, a family doctor is often the most trusted person for providing advice on health issues that may affect driving.) You may also consider resources on Alzheimer's Disease, dementia, and driving.
Web Resources
New help for older people who are shaky behind the wheel—and their children. (Time magazine)
You may find these links to other organizations' Web sites valuable as you decide when it's time to stop driving and explore other transportation options.
