A handbook for families, friends and caregivers worried about the safety of an older driver. Published by the New York State Office for Aging.

Introduction:

The approaching decades will bring the largest ever cohort of older drivers to our roads and highways. For some, the notion of a society of aging drivers may be unsettling. There is, however, good news. Despite the declining physical conditions associated with advancing age, research is showing that older persons are successfully adjusting for those age related changes and are driving safely well into their 70s, 80s and 90s.

While many older persons know when to surrender the keys, there are others who continue to drive when they are at-risk. For families, friends and caregivers, the issue of what to do about an aging loved one who is at-risk driving can be both perplexing and paralyzing. Families who have been faced with the dilemma of what to do have often reported taking a year or more to act! Those who have intervened report it as being one of the most difficult things they have ever had to do.

This handbook was developed to help families, friends and caregivers facing the dilemma of what to do when an aging loved one is at-risk driving. “When You Are Concerned” is, in part, a compilation of the experiences of families and others who have successfully resolved an unsafe aging driver situation. Their stories have been gathered by way of a series of surveys conducted by the Older Driver Family Assistance Program of the New York State Office for the Aging. The information has been distilled into this handbook with the assistance of a committee of experts on aging, caregiving and driving issues.

Today, there are programs which can help some older persons back to safe driving. There are also safety programs which help many to drive safely longer. Since older persons have much to gain if driving skills and judgment can be maintained or even enhanced in the third (50-75) and fourth (75+) ages of life, you will find information in Chapter 7 about programs, services and even special vehicle equipment which may help your loved one back to driving safely or to drive safely, longer.

Lastly, like the aging family member you are concerned about, some day you too may be in the same situation. You may outlive your ability to drive. What then? How will you get around? Chapter 6 discusses the issue of transportation in an automobile dependent society, and Chapter 8 explores the importance of planning for “mobility for life.”

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