Driving dilemma

montymops

I think I would be rather cross if someone suggested that because of my age, I should give up driving. A degree of aggression is not only a sign of dementia- it can also be indignation - at someone making a diagnosis.

I felt a degree of indignation towards the poster who suggested everyone should give up driving at 80 regardless of the fact that they may be fit, and good, experienced drivers.

ordinarygirl

I don't think age is the issue as I read a report that 40% of drivers would fail an eye sight test. I think an eyesight test certificate every 5 years at a minimum should be sent to DVLA

You are right, ordinarygirl

Age is not the issue. Signs of cognitive impairment, eyesight problems etc can happen at any age or not at all.

Illegal drug-taking is more of an issue with many younger drivers and that would be a very unusual factor in those of 80+.

I think I would be rather cross if someone suggested that because of my age, I should give up driving. A degree of aggression is not only a sign of dementia- it can also be indignation - at someone making a diagnosis.

Do you think the reason friends who say she should 'keep going', do so because they rely on her for lifts?

And this is exactly why I believe EVERYONE should have to stop driving at age eighty. No ifs, no buts.

I disagree.

There are people who should not be driving at 18; there are people who should not be driving at 40 or at 80.

I am nearly 80. I was driving at the speed limit yesterday through a village at 20 mph (the speed limit) and a young idiot screamed past me at, I would say, about 60 mph, careering on to the wrong side of the road on the other side of the bollards. He could easily have lost control.

So you're telling me I should not be driving soon? And he is fine to continue?

I think that, if a GP is worried about a patient's ability to continue to drive, they can contact the DVLA.

This lady may have fainted in the street due to some illness or something that has since been cured.
I know at several ladies who in their 80's and 90's are perfectly healthy - may need hearing aids and glasses - but nothing wrong with their reactions etc (one still plays golf!)
it would be interesting to have a study done comparing accidents involving young and old drivers before depriving people who may be perfectly ok to drive in their 80's or even 90's of their licence.
There is a very good statistically proven reason why insurers load the premiums of young male drivers
I think older people often recognise their diminished health issues and therefore self limit their driving to local necessary journeys just to go shopping, visit friends etc.
Of course, public transport for seniors is the answer, but when people are living on pensions, it has to be cost effective and convenient for them.
How about subsidised taxis? (particularly for people on pension credits maybe?) It is important for older people to be independent and taking away their transport could have terrible mental heath issues for them.

The DVLA should not trust the tick box questions as proof of a driver's ability to drive safely before renewing a licence.
At 70 we should have to undergo a medical and driving test at our expense. Reflexes are slower as we age and hearing and eyesight are often deteriorating too. We must be honest with ourselves and listen to others if they raise concerns.
Nobody enjoys relinquishing their car keys and seeing that independence go but it is the safest thing for all concerned.
I would be mentioning her to either her GP or the Police before something awful happens.

Aveline

My neighbour is very dear to me. She is 90+ and we were all very glad to hear that she planned to give up her car after Christmas. She's collapsed in the street before and her parking is very haphazard. However, last night she announced that she's renewed her licence for another 3 years and is keeping the car. We were all pretty horrified. Unfortunately she became very angry and defiant at us and said we were just like her son's who want her to give up her license. Her 'friends' allegedly say she's a good driver and should keep going. I'd thought we were her friends too.
We couldn't get her to understand that anything could happen. A year ago a 90+ year old lady went up on the pavement and killed a toddler in his pushchair. Too dreadful to contemplate.
I know there's nothing you can suggest that we haven't already but I just needed to let off steam.

And this is exactly why I believe EVERYONE should have to stop driving at age eighty. No ifs, no buts. And yes, I know it's impossible to live outside urban areas without a car, but if you knew you'd have to stop driving then you'd plan your later years better and move somewhere with public transport - or indeed get together with your similarly disadvantaged neighbours and arrange a pooled taxi service or similar.

I don't think age is the issue as I read a report that 40% of drivers would fail an eye sight test. I think an eyesight test certificate every 5 years at a minimum should be sent to DVLA

How utterly selfish and irresponsible your neighbour is Personally I would raise my concerns with DVLA

When I started to learn to drive in the late 1950s, the first thing my instructor said to me "don't ever forget that you have a lethal weapon in your hand at the wheel" I have never forgotten.

I passed out once while sitting reading. Went to the GP and was told to notify DVLA and was stopped from driving for an initial 6 months. Once all medical tests etc were done and proved negative I had to reapply for licence with covering letter from consultant. Do you think your neighbour has notified the authorities of her fainting?

Susie42

I think a lot of elderly drivers carry on because their local public transport is poor or even non-existent.

I agree with this. Where I live, buses are both erratic and sparse - to get to the nearest station is either two buses and a walk up a steep hill, or a £10 taxi (each way..!) If I want to go to any groups, social events or friends houses, there are no buses after 6pm - and none at all on a Sunday ...🙄
I like my house - but I don't want to sit in it all day, every day - and arthritis means that I cannot walk several miles to meet up. I'm keeping my car for as long as I can...!!

Astitchintime. I saw that and the person who failed was young! A lot do not want to wear glasses even though advised to for driving by optician.

I suppose anything that,can be construed as,dangerous driving.
It is shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted, though, to wait until an,accident has happened.

You can report to DVLA but a long process for medical assessment. Then, if found to be incapable, the car has to be got rid off. The Edinburgh incident was really down to the banned driver still having the car. Perhaps if anyone has welfare POA they would be able to dispose of the car once banned.

The incident about the 3 year old being killed was horrendous prompting a ban on over 70 years old driving. There are though almost on a daiky basis reports of those a lot younger killing people on the roads. There are also loads of incidents involving younger people that are never reported by the media or to driver's insurance company. If tgey sustain a bump or bash they just sort it out themselves. Are they to be banned too? Many young people do not, like the older generation, view a car like an lethal weapon treating it like something off a scalextric set.

Aveline. My late DH was deaf. Had earing aids with little effect. Never had an accident of any sort. Eventually had a cochlear impact 3 years before he died, and the implant did help.

I've worked in places where the person I'm looking after has a relative of the same cognitive impairments and has driven their car to visit.

MissAdventure

That sounds a sensible move, but would "some people" be prepared to take the tests?

Particularly if afraid they may fail.

They wouldn't have the choice, anymore than you do if you fail a cognitive test at a Memory Clinic or have your licence withdrawn because you have had a stroke or heart attack. You can get it back if you are later found to have recovered sufficiently.

If you didn't do the test you would lose your licence anyway.

We were in London, travelling in a black cab this week and talking to the driver. he was describing how his BiL, also a cab driver had developed early onset dementia in his mid 50s and had been driving his taxi into London, then parking up in a quiet road because he could not remember where customers had asked to be taken or where their destination was.

The very people who most need such a test are unlikely to agree to it. My neighbour is defiantly sure that she's absolutely fine despite evidence to the contrary.

That sounds a sensible move, but would "some people" be prepared to take the tests?

Particularly if afraid they may fail.

DH, aged 81, had an older drivers assessment day, run by the Institute of Advanced Motorists, they found little to comment on in his driving and said he was fine to continue driving. I am the same age.

We both regularly drive distances of 100 miles or more on all kinds of roads, dual carriageways, and motorways and travel to France four or five times a year. We can keep up with traffic, park with precision and neither of our children has said anything about aour driving and DS is happy for his children to travel with us when we are the drivers.

This weekend a driver in his 20s drove into 2 children, killing both and drove on. 4 university students, all in their early 20s were killed when their car was driven into a building. Almost every week, groups of teenagers drive their cars off the road into trees, buildings and ditches and kill everyone.

Yes, the driving of some older drivers deteriorates very quickly. Some 60 year olds are already unsafe on the road, but other drivers can drive safely into their 90s.

In his late 80s my father drove from the south coast to York for his grandson's wedding, refusing offers of transport, he spread the journey over 2 days and on the way back took 4 days as he fitted in a touring holiday around the journey. He drove to our holiday home in Normandy when over 90, again refusing offers of lifts.

In a previous thread on a subject like this, I suggested that from 76 all older drivers renewing their licence should also be expected to provide evidence of a recent eye test and should undergo a basic cognitive test, arranged by the DVLA and probably adminsitered at driving test locations. This would remove from the road those who cannot see properly and whose cognitive skills are fading.

Could your neighbour book herself in for a driving assessment? Some impartial advice might do the trick in persuading her to give up. Or she may do well and thus reassure you that she is still safe?

ITV News recently featured an article where Leicestershire police conducted spot checks on drivers in respect of being able to read a number plate at the designated required distance........their finding were alarming ! One driver admitted to not having her specs with her when she failed the sight test, a voice officer drove her home to collect them.......and she STILL failed!