By JUDD MATSUNAGA, Esq.
For many seniors, driving serves as a form of independence and sometimes even a source of pride, so I realize that “giving up the keys” is a sensitive subject. So, let’s start with a positive: Getting older is not necessarily a reason to give up driving. In fact, many people remain excellent drivers well into their 80s and 90s. Each person is different, there’s no set age when everyone should stop driving.
Still, thousands of older adults are injured or killed in the U.S. every year in traffic crashes. Each day, 20 older adults are killed and almost 540 are injured in car crashes. (Source: www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/older_adult_drivers/index.html)
Another study found that most seniors drive 7 to 10 years longer than they should (Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)).
No matter how capable a driver you once were, there may come a time when you have to give up the car keys. Although your age doesn’t necessarily determine your fitness behind the wheel, your declining reflexes, judgment, or vision can. Unfortunately, these skills and abilities can wane with time. So if you often hear other drivers honking at you, or your grandchildren aren’t allowed in the car when you’re driving, this article is for you.
According to a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School, “Aging in Place,” the following are some of the physiological factors that occur more frequently with age can interfere with safe driving:
? VISION. The likelihood of having clear vision dims as you get older. By age 65, more than 90% of people will develop cataracts — a clouding of the eye’s lens. At night, glare and haloes can distort your view of the road ahead. Nearsightedness can affect your ability to read traffic signs or to see a pedestrian in your path.
? HEARING. Your hearing can fade, preventing you from detecting an approaching car’s horn or an ambulance siren.
? REFLEXES. Slowed reflexes and reduced alertness from medications can prevent you from turning the wheel or slamming on the brakes when you need to react quickly.
? ARTHRITIS. Arthritis pain and stiffness in your joints can prevent you from fully turning your head to see other vehicles around you, or from hitting the brakes quickly enough to prevent an accident.
? COGNITIVE LOSS. Cognitive loss can make it harder for you to find once-familiar places and to execute the split-second decisions you must make behind the wheel.
? FATIGUE. Fatigue becomes an increasing problem with age, particularly if you’re on medications that make you drowsy.
Medications can also affect your driving. Since most people over age 65 take at least one daily medication, and many people take several drugs daily, it’s important to know whether anything in your medicine cabinet could affect your driving ability. Medications that can make you less alert behind the wheel include:
? anti-anxiety drugs
? sedating antidepressants, such as tricyclic antidepressants
? narcotic pain relievers
? cold, cough, and allergy remedies that contain antihistamines or decongestants
? sleeping pills
Even if a medicine you take isn’t on this list, it may cause problems with driving if it has side effects like drowsiness, dizziness, or nausea. Read the label whenever you get a new prescription and discuss the side effects of all the medications you take with your doctor and pharmacist. Ask how these drugs might affect your safety behind the wheel.
Don’t stop taking a prescription medication without your doctor’s guidance, even if a drug you’re on might affect your driving. Instead, ask whether you can adjust the dose or switch to a new medication to prevent any interference with your ability to drive. If you’re on any medicines that could make you groggy, find out whether you can take them before bed rather than in the morning or if you can switch to a drug without this side effect.
The following are a few warning signs that you — or a loved one — may no longer be safe behind the wheel:
? You drive much more slowly and cautiously than you did in the past, and you feel less confident behind the wheel.
? Your reaction time in response to unexpected situations (for example, a car stopping short in front of you) has slowed considerably.
? You have trouble seeing street signs and other objects in the distance, even with glasses.
? You can’t hear emergency vehicle sirens and car horns.
? You’ve noticed numerous new dents and dings in your car.
? You have trouble gauging your car’s relationship to vehicles and other objects around it — for example, you hit the curb when you try to park or back up.
? You get into frequent close calls.
? You often drift out of your lane.
? You forget to use your turn signals.
? You get lost on routes that you’ve driven multiple times.
Any of these signs should make you carefully consider whether you’re still a safe driver. If you’re not sure whether to give up driving, get a professional driving skills assessment from an organization like AAA. Taking a safe driver or defensive driving course can refresh your driving skills and possibly save you money on insurance premiums. You can take one of these programs in the classroom, behind the wheel, or online.
In addition to a driving refresher course, technology can help keep you safe behind the wheel. Today’s cars have features that help you steer, navigate, and respond to rapidly changing road conditions. These features also make it easier and more comfortable for you to drive, such as pedal extensions, riser seat cushions, and steering wheel covers.
You may be able to keep driving safely and longer if you trade-in your old car and purchase a new car with assistive technologies, such as:
? Power seats adjust to help you get into and out of the car.
? Keyless entry and pushbutton start help you unlock and start your car without fumbling with a key.
? A back-up camera detects oncoming traffic and pedestrians you might not be able to see.
? Blind spot detection notifies you of cars and other obstacles in your way before you change lanes.
? Lane departure warning alerts you if you’re drifting into another lane.
? A forward collision system brakes for you if you’re approaching another car too quickly.
? Adaptive cruise control automatically keeps your car at a set speed on the highway, and brakes or accelerates to accommodate the traffic in front of you.
? A high-contrast instrument panel makes your speed, odometer, and other indicators easier to see.
Handing over your keys doesn’t have to mean relinquishing your independence. There are a number of services that can make it easy for you to get around without driving yourself, including car-pooling, public transportation, such as buses and trains, and transportation companies, such as Uber, Lyft, taxis, and limousines.
When my 90-year-old uncle failed his driver’s test after having it suspended, the DMV supervisor said, “Try Access.” Access is a “no-cost” or “l(fā)ow-cost” shared-ride service run by the county that is available to qualified applicants whose physical or cognitive limitations prevent them from utilizing the regular public bus fixed-route service.
Access is a curb-to-curb shared-ride service. Several riders will be transported at one time in the same vehicle. It is not cab service, nor is it a door-to-door or a private transportation service. It is important to remember that Access is not a medical transportation service. If a customer’s medical condition prevents them from independently navigating in and out of the van, a personal care assistant should accompany the customer.
Access provides service within ? mile of fixed-route bus and rail line in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Access operates on the same schedule as most buses. Regular service is offered from 4 a.m. to 12 a.m., 7 days a week. If you’re out of the area, to find out about available transportation services in your area, go online to the Eldercare Locator (www.eldercare.gov) and select “Transportation.”
If the county’s Access program seems like too much trouble, and your senior can’t figure out how to order a ride on Uber and/or Lyft, try Go Grandparent. Here you can request a ride from Uber or Lyft with just a phone call — no smart phone needed!!! All the senior has to do is make a simple phone call. On-demand rides can arrive in 15 minutes or less, 24/7.
Walkers and foldable wheelchairs are no problem, as long as you can transfer yourself into a car without assistance. They can attempt to check with drivers that they’re comfortable accommodating ambulatory equipment. Let the phone operators know and they’ll add the appropriate notation to your account. Whenever drivers are asked to lift something, it’s customary and appropriate to offer a tip.
Still, some Rafureaders will insist on driving — even if there are valid reasons to stop, and even if there are other forms of safe transportation available, If that’s you, let me conclude this article with some tips from the Harvard Medical School Special Report that can help keep you steer clear of accidents:
? Leave extra space between your car and the car in front of you, so you have time to brake if that car stops short.
? Avoid highways during rush hour or other heavily trafficked periods. Similarly, avoid driving in the city when traffic jams are at their peak.
? Avoid driving at times when visibility is low, such as at night or during heavy rain.
? Refresh your driving skills by taking a course offered by AARP, AAA, or a local senior organization
Finally, if you’re concerned about your own driving skills or a loved one’s ability to drive, think about using online grocery delivery services, finding a friend or family member to step in and drive, or talking with a religious leader to find other ways for your loved one to get to a place of worship.
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Judd Matsunaga, Esq., is the founding partner of the Law Offices of Matsunaga & Associates, specializing in estate/Medi-Cal planning, probate, personal injury and real estate law. With offices in Torrance, Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Pasadena and Fountain Valley, he can be reached at (800) 411-0546. Opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those ofThe Rafu Shimpo.