Elderly Drivers - Please Stop Driving

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elderly parents are well-known for their willingness to take their kids' advice. They would immediately surrender their keys when asked.

+1

My brother finally convinced my dad to sell his car. A couple months later, my dad changed his mind and bought a new one. My dad literally just ubered to a dealership, saw the car he wanted on the lot, and bought it on the spot.
Sometimes, unless you can literally be with your parent 24/7, there is no way to stop them.

My grandfather did something similar and he was an absolute menace on the road. Nobody in the family would ride in his car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Elderly parents are well-known for their willingness to take their kids' advice. They would immediately surrender their keys when asked.

This. My parents are mid-80s, live out of state, and are still driving. Sigh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Already and recently covered in-depth:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1296997.page

Wow, that's about boomers. My parents are silent generation and still driving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like that in Japan if you're 75 you have to pass a cognitive test to keep driving. I think that would be a great idea here - reaction times slow down.

This is the only way anything will change. It has to be at a state MVA level. Asking people on an anonymous forum is like shouting into the wind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like that in Japan if you're 75 you have to pass a cognitive test to keep driving. I think that would be a great idea here - reaction times slow down.

This is the only way anything will change. It has to be at a state MVA level. Asking people on an anonymous forum is like shouting into the wind.

The dmv can take away the license, but it won't necessarily stop someone from driving. Tons of people are out driving on our roads every day without a license.
For many, if they have access to a vehicle, they will drive it. You can't force them to sell their car. If they live with a spouse, adult child, roommate, etc. that has a car, there is a good chance they will still drive.

[Anonymous]

Would love to see a law that requires a test at age 75/80 and then every X number of years after that. MIL only gave up driving after she totaled the car. Thankfully no one was hurt.

[Anonymous]

On that other thread someone told a story about her 97 year old (or around there) grandmother’s license being auto renewed and I’m sure that happens alllll the time. Craziness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Already and recently covered in-depth:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1296997.page

Wow, that's about boomers. My parents are silent generation and still driving.

Regardless, as noted in the other recent thread, the stats suggest younger drivers are more at risk:

“[D]rivers between 25 and 34 are involved in the most fatal auto accidents by age group.”

https://www.autoinsurance.org/age-groups-fatal-crashes/

&

“Fatal crashes per licensed driver [are] lower for drivers 70–79 than ages 35–54. All crashes per miles traveled [are] lower for drivers 70–79 than ages 35–54.”

“Results of this study demonstrate that fatal crash involvements among older adults remain lower than the peak levels seen in the mid-1990s. Although a slowing of declining trends can be seen, there is no evidence to suggest an increase in fatal crash rates among older adults, as had been hypothesized when considering the increasing proportion of older adults in the United States population and their elevated crash risk.”

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022437521000463?

[Anonymous]

FIL, 98, still drives, but he tells us only in the daytime so not to worry. I have repeatedly suggested to DH that he and siblings talk to dad about not driving (and we do not allow our children in the car if he is driving, nor will we get in the car with him). Spouse and siblings say, "if the state of FL allows him to drive, who are we to interfere."

[Anonymous]

My cousin was tboned by an 87 year old woman on the same day that I avoided being t-boned, but had the front of my car almost ripped off entirely by an 80 year old woman. I got off easily with just the hassle of insurance, rentals, and a body shop. However, my cousin still has balance issues and had to give up driving herself while the woman who hit her is still on the road.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FIL, 98, still drives, but he tells us only in the daytime so not to worry. I have repeatedly suggested to DH that he and siblings talk to dad about not driving (and we do not allow our children in the car if he is driving, nor will we get in the car with him). Spouse and siblings say, "if the state of FL allows him to drive, who are we to interfere."

This is crazy. 98?!?!
It’s also crazy to me how many people I hear of who don’t let their kids drive with their elderly parents but also don’t think it’s a problem for those elderly parents to be on the road.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Already and recently covered in-depth:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1296997.page

Wow, that's about boomers. My parents are silent generation and still driving.

Regardless, as noted in the other recent thread, the stats suggest younger drivers are more at risk:

“[D]rivers between 25 and 34 are involved in the most fatal auto accidents by age group.”

https://www.autoinsurance.org/age-groups-fatal-crashes/

&

“Fatal crashes per licensed driver [are] lower for drivers 70–79 than ages 35–54. All crashes per miles traveled [are] lower for drivers 70–79 than ages 35–54.”

“Results of this study demonstrate that fatal crash involvements among older adults remain lower than the peak levels seen in the mid-1990s. Although a slowing of declining trends can be seen, there is no evidence to suggest an increase in fatal crash rates among older adults, as had been hypothesized when considering the increasing proportion of older adults in the United States population and their elevated crash risk.”

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022437521000463?

Is there a stat for 80-99??? Also no one here suggested a blanket driving ban based solely on age but mandatory testing every few years once you reach a certain age seems reasonable. All of these people are confident enough in their own driving to be out on the road with all of us so they shouldn’t have a problem with doing that.

[Anonymous]

That other thread got really jammed up about the use of the word ‘boomer’ when it was all really about drivers over 80.

[Anonymous]

Just yesterday...

Elderly driver cited after crashing into doctor's office https://share.google/27eSyPaoDDzCHJ1zt

Anne Arundel County police say a 78-year-old woman mistook the gas pedal for her brakes while pulling into a spot directly in front of the Maryland Primary Care Physicians Office, when she crashed into the building.

Her 2022 Toyota Highlander struck an older couple who were in the waiting room, ages 74 and 75, pinning them underneath the car.

They were taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FIL, 98, still drives, but he tells us only in the daytime so not to worry. I have repeatedly suggested to DH that he and siblings talk to dad about not driving (and we do not allow our children in the car if he is driving, nor will we get in the car with him). Spouse and siblings say, "if the state of FL allows him to drive, who are we to interfere."

This is crazy. 98?!?!
It’s also crazy to me how many people I hear of who don’t let their kids drive with their elderly parents but also don’t think it’s a problem for those elderly parents to be on the road.

I think it is a huge problem, but it's not my dad and I cannot convince my spouse or his siblings to do anything about it. My parents stopped driving in their 80s - handed us the car keys and said they were done (and luve in a place that drives them to appointments and they use Uber). That all being said, FIL has yet to be in or cause any accidents. And I still think he should not be driving!