Seniors: A Danger on the Road

Seniors who are experiencing cognitive or physical decline
shouldn't be the ones to judge their own driving abilities. So says
Bonnie Dobbs, an assistant professor at the University of Alberta in
Canada. Dobbs has found that 98 percent of elderly drivers with
impairments severe enough to hinder driving ability think they are
average or above-average on the road.

Although older drivers often restrict their driving and have a low
crash rate per person, they still have a higher rate of accidents per
number of miles driven. In Canada, the accident rate among those over 65
is triple that of adults ages 36 to 65. In the U.S. between 1989 and
1999, the number of fatalities of drivers ages 70 and over increased 39
percent while overall fatalities dropped 9 percent.

Caregivers are likely to meet resistance when confronting a parent
or grandparent about the safety of his or her driving. Dobbs suggests
asking a third party, such as the family doctor, to intervene.

Driving is often a sign of independence for older adults, and the
loss of a license has been associated with depression and decreased
self-esteem in studies. If families can help aging drivers meet their
social transportation needs, Dobbs says, it "would go a long way in
preventing them from feeling like their life has less meaning."