When is it time to stop driving?
Giving up your licence is a life-changing decision but it can be in your – and your community’s – best interest.
Ageing Well on the Road
A new resource from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) is aimed at helping you stay active and independent. It provides important information about how to stay safe on the road throughout later life and information about when to stop driving. NSA recently worked with UNSW on a research project related to older drivers and their use of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).
For many Australians, gaining a driver’s licence is a rite of passage that indicates not only your entry to adulthood, but the promise of freedom.
On the contrary, giving up your licence, or having it taken away, can be seen as sign of decline and a loss of independence.
In a recent article in the RACQ’s Road Ahead magazine, health professional Paul Reeves notes his concern about the “difficult and controversial” issue.
He writes, “As we age, our reflex responses slow. Some experience sensory deterioration in hearing and vision while others become less environmentally aware of road signage, traffic lights, and other drivers.
“It is hoped that regular examination by the driver’s general practitioner would alert motor registration authorities of potential risks of the senior driver patient.”
However, Mr Reeves says some GPs don’t want to upset their patients by suggesting that they give up driving.
While some people drive competently and safely well into old age, some can become a danger to themselves and other road users.
This can particularly be the case for older Australians who are suddenly driving vehicles they are not accustomed to, ranging from motorbikes to motorhomes, or travelling long distances in unfamiliar territory.
The US National Institute on Aging (NIA) lists common factors that can affect an older person’s ability to drive. They include:
Stiff joints and muscles.
Changes with eyesight.
Difficulty hearing.
Slower reflexes.
Medications and medical conditions.
The NIA notes that some people in the early ages of Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia can keep driving, but there will probably be a point where their memory and decision-making skills deteriorate, and they will need to give up.
It also lists reasons why a driver should consider consider giving up, including:
Multiple crashes or near misses.
Two or more traffic tickets or warnings in the past two years.
Comments from neighbours or friends about unsafe or aggressive driving.
Health issues, including problems with vision, hearing, and mobility.
It often falls to family members or close friends to have that uncomfortable discussion about giving up or changing driving habits.
Victoria’s Transport Accident Commission suggests that people who are concerned about a loved one’s driving should:
Provide suggestions for safer routes to frequently visited locations
Assist with booking taxis or rideshare vehicles for longer drives or busier routes
Look for alternative travel options such as community shuttles or public transport
Organise some refresher driving lessons
With their permission, talk to their doctor about medications and how they might affect driving
Help them make use of delivery services to reduce their need to drive.
If you are in the position of having this discussion with a loved one, make sure you do so with compassion and emphasise that while driving may be best left to others, that isn’t a poor reflection of them and needn’t affect their ability to live life their own way.
Related reading: Road Ahead, ABC, TAC
