Seniors and Driving: When Should and When Shouldn’t They Drive

How to manage your elderly relative’s driving and how to check whether they are fit to drive or not

Aging brings with it many driving difficulties, difficulties that gradually manifest themselves without the elderly person noticing and pose a significant risk not only to their own safety but also to the safety of other drivers. Therefore, it’s important to manage your elderly relative’s driving habits by assessing their ability to drive and, if necessary, arranging alternative transportation options for them.

Dificulties the elderly have when driving

There are several physical impairments that interfere with a senior’s ability to drive, including:

Poor vision, which is especially serious since 90% of driving information during driving is captured visually, including important details such as the distance between vehicles and their speed;
Poor memory, in which the senior forgets important actions such as turning on their turn signals, checking their rearview mirrors, checking traffic signs, etc.;
Loss of flexibility, which can affect important body movements, such as quickly turning the head to look sideways;
Reaction time, which increases with age, meaning that a senior takes longer to react to danger signals received by the brain.

How to judge the driving capability of your elderly relative

There are several ways to determine whether your elderly relative is fit to drive, such as:

If the elderly relative gets lost easily;
What the elderly relative’s reaction time is;
How well the elderly relative judges the distance between external objects and their vehicle;
If the elderly relative becomes easily irritated by other drivers;
If other passengers in the elderly relative’s vehicle notice any issues, irregularities or signs of risk in their driving;

If you notice that your elderly relative is unfit to drive but have trouble dissuading them, a medical examination may be necessary. Any doctor can issue a medical certificate for driving. However, it is important to find a doctor who is objective, professional, specialized, and thorough in their examinations. To this end, you can schedule an appointment with your family doctor, as they are already well-acquainted with your elderly relative’s physical and mental state, or ask them to recommend a doctor with more experience in medical driving exams.

Alternatives for transportaion for your elderly relative

If your elderly relative is no longer able to drive, there are several transportation options at their disposal, such as:

Giving them a ride, or finding someone who can
Taxi cabs
Driving apps (e.g., Uber, Kapten, Bolt)
Carris public transportation, which includes bus and the subway train, offers seniors in Lisbon free access to transportation within the Lisbon area through the “Cartão Navegante” card.

If you need someone to accompany your elderly relative while driving or if you need someone to accompany and assist them with public transportation, KindCare is ready to help. Contact us at 960 139 517 to learn more.