TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - It’s National Older Driver Safety Awareness Week, a time to learn how to keep aging drivers safe on the road.
Driving gives independence, and AAA has a lot of suggestions about how to keep people behind the wheel as they age.
According to one of AAA’s driving instructors, it’s important to get your hearing and eyesight tested once a year after you turn 65. Staying physically active and taking a driver refresher course is also helpful.
Most importantly, be open to making changes, such as not driving at night or in bad weather, and maybe driving less often.
“A third party, when you’re driving just say, ‘Hey, how’s my driving? How am I doing?,’” said Pat Brown, driving supervisor at AAA Driving School. “And that person will probably be pretty honest with you and when they do tell you some things that you don’t do very well, you need to work on those for your skills so you can keep your keys and drive longer.”
Despite all these safety measures, there will come a day when many of us will have to stop driving.
Driving can be unsafe if someone is on certain medications, has poor eyesight or hearing, or if reaction time has slowed.
Brown teaches that if you have to have that dreaded conversation with a loved one, be delicate, and make sure to have a plan for how your loved one can get around town before you broach the topic.
On the other side of the conversation, it’s important to accept that at some point, we all may have to give up our keys.
Sylvania Township resident Jean Mills took Brown’s class two years ago. She still drives but understands there will likely come a day when her children will have to put a stop to that.
“We have not said, ‘When are you going to tell me I can’t drive anymore?’ But they will, they will. How will I feel about it? I don’t know. It depends on my condition. But if I’m a danger to myself or a danger to others, it’s the right thing to do,” says Mills.
AAA has a website dedicated to resources for older drivers. Mercy Health also runs a driver assessment program through Oregon Outpatient Rehabilitation & Therapy that can help you decide if it’s safe for you to drive.
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The Link LonkDecember 08, 2020 at 08:02PM
https://www.13abc.com/2020/12/08/tips-to-stay-safe-behind-wheel-for-older-drivers/
Tips to stay safe behind wheel for older drivers - 13abc Action News
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