my 93 yr old mother insists on driving !

I understand your dilema, my Mother was a determined and independent woman who refused to give up driving, sometimes you have to stand firm, tell her you do not think she is safe, do not agree to travel with her and as others have suggested check that she has told the truth to her insurers and on renewing her licence. Whilst staying could you go with her for an eye test so you both know the upto date situation with her eyes.

Your Mother probably knows the time she has left to drive is coming to an end and is fighting the inevitable, which will probably make her even more determined to do it her way. However, if she has an accident you need to know she is properly covered for the sake of whoever else might be involved.

Why not get her a voucher for an older persons assessment by the Institute of Advance Motorists . www.iamroadsmart.com/courses/mature-driver-assessment Tell her if they are entirely happy with her driving you will travel with her again. If she doesn't, you won't.

If she does any of the things you describe during the assessment they will tell her she needs to turn her licence in.

Stop being so aggressive bags again. It was trying to help.

Agreed, lucky. But a lot of people do speeds greater than 70 on motorways.

WHICH IS ALL I SAID.

Stop making assumptions, ww. Explaining is not endorsing (again).

bags allow no one to intimidate you! 70 mph within the law. Anything else is breaking the law.

Refusing to get in the car will save topsyturveys sanity but it means her mother is still putting herself and others at risk.

thatbags - the speed limit is 70 and NO-ONE should exceed it.
Spoken as someone who worked in a trauma unit for many years.

A very difficult situation. My mother (now 97) stopped driving when my father died - the cost of the insurance would have prevented her keeping a car anyway, (she had never been insured in her own name, and my father had been a commercial traveller with a very clean license, so his premiums were quite low).

She said that old ladies had no business behind the wheel, and stopped. She used her bus pass, but that has now got too much and my sister organises her a taxi into town on hairdresser's day.

There have been threads on Gransnet where many of us have noticed our courage waning, particularly with regard to driving, so I'm surprised that your mother has no compunction at 93 - normally I would say "Well done her".

If her eyesight is deteriorating, she will certainly not have her license renewed next time round, but for the time being, I really can't think of a solution. Would there be a chance of her car not passing its MOT or some other circumstance that would keep her off the road?

I would be honest - just say that you are not going to be a passenger in her car as you feel her driving is no longer safe. If she tells you you are hysterical, just say "That's as maybe, but I am not coming in the car with you driving."

I said something similar to my Dad - it was hard. but he took it on the chin.

You should not get in the car with her - end of.

I'm sure there are laws about how often people over a certain age and/or who have eyesight issues. Perhaps you should familiarise yourself with these and make sure she isn't breaking them, though how this could happen when DVLA has her details, I don't really know.

Driving at 80mph, though above the speed limit, is actually very common on motorways, so much so that if you are sticking to 70mph you are permanently in someone else's way: you will be too fast in the inside lane and too slow in the middle lane.

If you are really terrified, refuse to go on a day trip with her unless you drive.

Perhaps a little bit cowardly not having the courage to refuse to sit in the passenger seat. Just say No!

A tricky situation.
You can report her to the DVLA they then speak to her GP.
Or as some on another forum I use have done, disable the car in some way i.e. disconnect the battery or hide the keys. Underhand I know but if it saves her or the other driver so be it.

I notice you said 'seems' to have held on to her licence. Are you sure it's still valid?

When did your DM last have an eye test? Opticians assess whether a client's sight has deteriorated to the point where he or she shouldn't be behind the wheel.
You must be very concerned for DM, other road users and, indeed, yourself. Being in a car with her sounds scary.

What a dilemma! I hope someone comes up with an answer ! Is there a medical reason why she might be Unsafe? I know that age should not be a barrier but driving on a motorway requires quick reflexes . Good luck , my parents would never admit that they couldn't/shouldn't be doing something