Wondering if older family members are still fit to drive? Take this quick quiz to better understand and assess the risk factors.
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My husband is 85 years old,completely blind in one eye and has glacoma in the other. He has always been a risk on the road. About a year ago he complained to his doctor that I wanted him to stop driving and the doctor wrote a prescription stating that there was no medical reason why he should stop driving.
I gave up driving two years ago. I am a 65 yr old with short term memory loss but had been driving others places for years. When I almost had three accidents in 48 hours, I knew God was telling me something. I still have average intelligence but poor judgement. Thanking God, I thought of what I could do to others by continuing to drive. Ended up once siting on a medium in the middle of four lanes because I couldn't decide what to do when I missed my turn. I don't feel that the disadvantage to me can compare to what I would go thru if I hurt someone.
I am with marnet. I have already, at 52 years old, noticed a change in my driving habits that concern me. I have told my doctor, and my son and daughter-in-law, that when the time comes, stop me. I will hopefully know when it is time, but if not, someone is to stop me. I do not want to harm anyone. And when you become a danger on the road, you are using a lethal weapon, not just a car.
My father in law had a hemmoragic stroke two years ago. The three sons who live nearby refused to make themselves available to take him places, so he drove himself. He plowed into the rear of a pick up truck at 55 injuring a 27 year old girl. He had to be cut from the car.He spent three weeks in the hospital. Two months later, he plowed into a parked postal truck, again having to be cut from the car. He was NOT issued a ticket for either accident. His insurance company initially said they would not reinsure him. One phone call to the state insurance commission by him and they reinstated him because he was not issued a ticket. We have disabled his car in a way very difficult to figure out as our only option at this point. He refuses to stop driving, and is actively researching new cars. If he wishes to hurt himself, thats one thing, but i cant stand the thought of him hurting someone else. We live 3 hours away,and have been lucky that neighbors are helping as best they can. They need mandatory retesting for people over 75. The doctors have been of no help.
my dad, who had a serious stroke 5 years ago, insists that he is a perfect driver. He infact scares me because his driving skills have become a risk! What should I do? I am afraid he will have an accident that could kill him, my mom and anybody else on the road! He drives a big Dodge pickup truck which can be quite dangerous to other drivers! I wish I had some help in how to deal with this problem. His nerologist says he has inpaired cocnitive disease! Can anyone help? Thank you!
thank you. Your site has been more help in these last few minutes than ALL of the so called resources put together.
Doctors can make really bad patients when they become senile because they are used to having most people listen to them. My cantakerous physican father practiced into his mid-80s and refused to give up his car keys even though he had been involved in 4 minor accidents within a year. We were all scared that the next accident might not be so minor. My brother's inspired action was simply exchanged the keys to my father's car for for keys that fit a car he no longer owned. We expected him to resort to 30 minute long tirades since he often had them over every little thing whether it had anything to do with him or not. Imagine our surprise when all he did complain a bit. We think he was a bit embarrassed that he could not figure it out. As his senility progressed he soon forgot all about it. I hope this makes it easier for someone else to deal with a similar problem.
We had the problem with both my mother and my mother-in-law. In my mother's case someone called the DMV. They pulled her in for a road test and pulled her license. In my mother-in-law's when she was hospitalized last fall, in the process she lose her only set of keys. Thank heavens because she thought she was ready to drive when she got through the recovery process she was totally unable to drive and we would have had a fight on our hands. In both cases we waited too long and luckily there were no consequences. The next problem will be me. Now I only drive short trips and only if it needs to be done and my wife is not available. Trips are a mile or so and I am unable to walk that far. We are both watching me and if either one determines that I have gone too far I will stop driving immediately.
The problem with these quizzes is they assume all situations are the same. Also, they are NOT always the only answer. To say that an answer is incorrect is to ascribe an absolute to a situation that calls for judgment, not a cookbook. And, lastly, checking with the doctor is usually a waste of time. To assume the average doc has any significant expertise in this area is simply feeding the "doctor is god" theory.