An Online Guide for Seniors: Driver Safety and Concerns

The aging process can affect a driver’s ability to operate a car safely. In 2008, drivers age 65 and higher were responsible for 15% of fatal vehicle accidents, and of that amount 39% of fatalities were of the senior driver.[1] Response to reaction times, vision capabilities and depth perception can decline as an individual ages. Because of this, senior citizens should analyze their capability to perform the tasks necessary to drive and make an honest determination about whether they are a safe driver.

The sobering statistics cited above demonstrate that sometimes it is necessary for a senior driver to give up their keys. Many seniors might view this as an end to their freedom. Today, however, senior groups, state funded agencies and non-profit organizations operate public transportation options solely for seniors. This means that stopping driving does not mean losing independence.

Below is an explanation of how aging affects safe driving, warning signs that a senior may no longer be a safe driver and safe driver tips. Resources for seniors that no longer drive are also provided. For more information about a topic, visit the links at the end of this article.

Driving and Aging Facts

There is no specific age after which an individual is deemed unable to safely operate a car. While many states have an age after which senior drivers are required to undergo yearly vision and skill testing, no states require seniors to stop driving at a certain age. The decision of whether an elderly driver is a safe driver, therefore, is made on an individual basis. Drivers over the age of 75 are a group identified as most likely to be involved in an accident and second most likely to die as a result of that crash.[2] Additionally, in a 1997 report by the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration, seniors were identified as nine times more likely than other drivers to cause a fatal accident. These facts are not only sobering, but also demonstrate that the effects of aging on driving skills should be taken seriously.

Factors that Affect Safe Driving

Seniors often have poorer vision, reaction times, hearing loss, comprehension skills and depth perception. Specific medical conditions, such as having had a prior stroke or a seizure may make it more dangerous for a senior to drive. Even one of these ailments can impact the senior’s ability to drive and to drive safely. Unfortunately, these changes are many times unpreventable and, while manageable or treatable, may still cause the driver to no longer be capable of operating a car. When reviewing a senior’s driving skills, the senior individual, caregivers and family members should include the driver’s current physical and mental health. Changes in the senior’s health may mean that the senior’s driving capabilities need to be revisited.

Warning Signs of Unsafe Driving

There are many warning signs that a senior individual may not be a safe driver. Confusion, failure to adhere to driving rules such as making a full stop or an inability to read a road sign indicate that a driver’s skills may be insufficient. The presence of one or more of these warning signs, or other signs of unsafe driving, should instigate a serious and honest analysis of whether it is the right decision for a senior to continue driving. Most important, though, is the senior’s perception of driving. A senior that finds driving in general more difficult, may indicate that it is time to review safe driving skills or discontinue driving. Consideration of warning signs and analysis of a senior’s driving should be an ongoing process.

Driver Safety Tips

The statistics about senior drivers and fatal accidents indicate that a senior driver’s main consideration when reviewing their driving skills should be their health. Many times, seniors can and should participate in the discussion of whether they should remain on the road. If a senior feels that their physical or cognitive skills are sufficient to continue to drive safely, he or she may consider taking a driving skills refresher course. Sometimes, a senior may feel that it is best if they limit their driving to only a particular area or during the daytime. While these limitations may reduce the chances that the senior will drive unsafely, they may also be an indication that it is no longer suitable for the senior to drive. Senior drivers should not hesitate to encourage other senior drivers to perform the same analysis of their driving skills; often this encouragement will open the floor for a comfortable and honest conversation about the decision to continue driving.

Adjusting to Life Without Driving

Handing over the keys does not mean that a senior can no longer be mobile. In fact, many seniors find that their mobility increases once they stop driving. Recognizing that non-driving seniors require transportation, state and non-profit agencies offer services specifically for seniors. These services are often free or cost only a minimal fee. The availability and affordability of these services could mean that a senior is no longer hampered by only being able to take trips permitted by their physical limitations. Longer trips, trips at night or trips considered too dangerous to take alone may once again become possible.

The websites and pages below contain more information about the effects of aging on driving, safe driving tips and public transportation options. To find out more about these topics or for guidance in conducting an analysis of a senior’s driving capabilities, visit the sites listed below.

Insurance Information Institute: This page provides statistics about older drivers and traffic accidents broken into age groups.
Car Crash Statistics: This page contains statistics about driving accidents caused by members of different ages.
Statistics on Older Drivers: This document is the 1997 National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) article discussing seniors and traffic accidents.
The Affects of Aging on Driving: This page demonstrates how aging affects the functions and mental processes used while driving.
Seniors and Severe Auto Accidents: Provided by Consumer Affair, this article contains statistics demonstrating that senior drivers are involved in accidents that are typically more serious than drivers in other age groups.
Licensing Laws by State: This page provides the age limits and required testing of senior drivers in each state.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System: This interactive site permits users to generate a list of fatal auto crashes in a given year, state and age range.
Driving and Dementia: This article discusses the impact of dementia on driving skills.
Driving Safely While Aging Gracefully: Provided by the NHTSA, this booklet advises seniors about what to consider when deciding if they should continue to drive.
Driving and Seizures: This article discusses how seizures impact driving safely.
Driving and Arthritis: This page analyzes how the condition effects safe driving.
Age-Related Ailments and Driving: On this page Help guide, a non-profit organization focusing on senior assistance, lists common senior illnesses and explains how they may affect driving skills.
Driving and Strokes: Provided by the NHTSA, this article discusses the problems with driving after suffering a stroke.
Aging and Driving Skills: Created by the USAA Educational Foundation, this page contains a general discussion of how driving skills are affected by age.
Aging and Driving Capabilities: Provided by the Florida Department of Highway Safety, this document analyzes how aging can affect driving capabilities.
Dangerous Senior Drivers: This site lists indications that a senior driver is no longer able to drive safely.
Warning Signs of Unsafe Driving: This article discusses potential warning signs of an unsafe driver.
SeniorDriving.com: This page contains examples of warning signs that a senior driver can no longer safely operate a vehicle.
Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles Driver Checklist: This checklist contains the when determine whether a senior citizen should continue to drive.
Putting the Brakes on Senior Drivers: This page advises family members and caregivers of the warning signs that a senior should stop driving.
Unsafe Driving Warning Signs: This article discusses the warning signs that an elderly driver might need to stop driving.
Is It Time For Your Elderly Parent to Give Up Driving?: This page includes seven considerations when deciding if a senior needs to stop driving.
Senior Driver Assessment: Provided by the University of Michigan Health System, this page provides issues to consider when a senior is considering whether to continue driving.
When Seniors Have Driving Difficulties: This article discusses the problems that could arise when analyzing whether a senior should stop driving and discusses potential warning signs of unsafe driving.
Why Take A Driver Safety Course?: This article discusses the importance of checking attending a refresher driving course and how it could reduce insurance rates.
Safe Driving for Older Adults: This page contains questions to guide seniors and their family members in the analysis of whether the senior should continue to drive.
Driving Safety as You Age: This page contains information the problems faced by senior drivers can face.
How to Improve Seniors' Driving Skills: Provided by the automobile resource company Edmunds, this article contains the steps to improve a senior’s driving skills.
The Older and Wiser Driver: This article discusses the typical physical changes in seniors and suggests alterations to driving skills to manage those changes.
Baby Boomer Driver Safety Tips: This page contains advice about driving safely.
Safety Tips for Senior Citizens: Written by a senior caregiver, this page contains information on analyzing a senior driver’s skills.
Helping the Senior Driver: Provided by AAA, this article advises on how to assess a senior’s driving skills.
Brushing Up On Driving Skills: Provided by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), this page encourages seniors to review the skills necessary to be a safe driver.
The Meaning of Driving: This article discusses why it is a difficult decision for seniors to discontinue driving.
The Community Transportation Association: This group provides mobility assistance to non-drivers.
Transportation Assistance Search: Provided by The Beverly Foundation, this page enables individuals to search for transportation assistance groups near their homes.
The Transition from No Longer Driving: This article advises on how to help seniors make the transition to using public or other community transportation assistance.
Dealing with Driving Concerns for a Senior: Provided by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, this page contains advice on how to handle a conversation about whether a senior should continue driving.
Assessing Older Drivers: Provided by the American Medical Association, this document guides physicians when analyzing whether a senior patient should continue to drive.