Re: When is it time to stop driving?

roeroe1005 · ‎03-13-2010

Aahhhh, one of my "favorite" subjects.

My mom stopped driving when she was in her late 70s. She almost passed out while driving (only drove to supermarket & back) and that incident was the last time she drove.

My dad is another story. He is 97, has had a few accidents the last few years. But there's nothing wrong with his driving. He once hit a guy from behind, lightly, at a traffic light. The guy came to his car and my dad said to him "Why did you hit me?". Ugh.

He refuses to give up those da*n keys. My BIL parks dad's car close to the garage wall so dad can't really get in with his bad hip.

Last week, dad went to start his car in the garage. He somehow locked the car doors, car was running and accidently shut the garage door. And he could NOT remember how to open the garage door. He has lived in this house 60 years but couldn't remember how to open the garage door from the inside. Car is running. He calls me, my sister - we are at work, never heard our cells ringing. He called my nephew who is a firefighter and he was able to run over.

The other day dad told me he had a hair cut appointment, but my BIL was going to take him because he didn't want to drive. I said to him NO ONE WANTS YOU DRIVE!!

This is what we are dealing with.

sashamatthews · ‎03-10-2010

I probably posted this before, but I have a nearly 93-year-old father who still drives, but not at night, and he is off the road in bad weather. I have been his passenger and he drives well, but he is having other issues which may force me to take his keys within the next year.

apple1964 · ‎08-07-2013

It depends on the persons health eyesight and common sense. Every person is different and has different problems.

software · ‎06-08-2016

@CrazyDaisy wrote:
Well I have hit a curb and gotten a flat tire before and I am no where near 80. I also see people driving everyday talking on a cell phone. Seem sad that just because something happens and they are of a certain age they automatically are labeled incompetent.

I agree, I'm shocked at how many posters are ready to pull her license.

I'm a terrible driver. So far so good with the car I'm driving now but all my cars have dings from where I've bumped into something, ran over a concrete curb, backed into something, etc. I've had several minor fender benders. Been that way all my life. but otherwise i've never had a wreck serious enough to call the police for a report, or an ambulance. My kids know how bad I am. I have bluetooth in my car, I don't use my phone at all when driving.

I'm just a very clumsy person. If anything can fall, break or fail in anyway, it will do it on my watch. I can break Legos. My kids would never let me help them build with their Legos. I am only 65 but I am trying hard to stay out of trouble. Since I retired, I rarely go anywhere now.

kdgn · ‎03-09-2010

@esmerelda wrote:
I haven’t read the entire thread and I don’t know what the “other situations” were. But if you want to take her keys away because she tried to answer her cell phone while she was driving, would you do the same to a teenager who did the same thing?

Maybe she just needs to put the phone in the backseat while she’s driving.

If it was my kid, yes, the keys would be gone if the teen was under the age of 18 and/or was my dependent.

It's illegal. Bluetooth is available-use it.

Rockycoast · ‎03-02-2016

I would say it is time for your M-I-L to stop driving. You state she already has had situations and now yet another. I am a big advocate of manditory eye, reflex and road testing for older people. Don't care that elders think giving up a car means giving up their independance. The lives and injury to other people elder drivers may cause is far more important then their independance. There are other means of transportation to get them where they want to go. The young/new drivers have restictions on their driving, so should elder drivers. The family is usually the first to see the declining driving skills, we did with our mom. She gave up her keys and gave her car away to our niece that needed a car. Wouldn't want to know we as a family contributed to another's death or injury because we let mom drive past when we knew she shouldn't.

denisemb · ‎12-07-2012

In my mother's case (probably mid 80's) she also took out a tire/wheel when hitting a curb, took out a mailbox and (my favorite) several traffic cones. ""They were too close to the lane!"

Oh, she also backed out of the garage, scraping the side of my husband's new Pacifica. Which also reminds me she made a large hole in the garage wall while pulling in one day.

Unfortunately, as the yougest daughter, she had no regard for my opinion...had to bring in my oldest brother, the favored one, to get her keys and give her car to a great-grandchild.

I really think anyone over the age of say, 80, should have to take a road test with a qualified instructor when renewing their licence

Denise