I came across this article today on car shopping for older drivers. Good information to consider as you select a new vehicle.
Today's News - Savvy Living
Other issues related to older drivers include when it is time to give up a driver's license. In the last week I received two phone calls from concerned children. Their parents were still driving and the children were afraid their parent might cause an accident. This is a delicate issue. In one case, the mother did cause an accident and it was enough to encourage her to surrender her license. In the other case, the child was faced with having the "dreaded conversation."
My father gave up driving voluntarily after he caused a head on collision when he failed to stop at a red light. I feared he would be one that would never give up driving so we were all relieved when he made the decision himself.
Another friend had to disable her father's car and tell him it was not possible to have it fixed. This seem to address the issue for him.
My grandfather drove until he was 97 years old. Fortunately he never had a serious accident but whenever I was in town, I offered to drive. Another senior client used to come to the office - he drove a large Cadillac that was dented on all four corners - a testament to his (lack of) driving ability. After he died, an unexpected claim was filed in his estate as a result of a car accident he never told his children about.
Do you have any advice for seniors who need to stop driving?
Peggy Hoyt
