Older Driver Safety Awareness Week provides food for thought

MOSES LAKE — Older Driver Safety Awareness Week is Dec. 2-6, so if you are an older driver or a caregiver, it may be time to talk about driving safety, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In 2022, there were 7,870 traffic collisions nationwide involving a driver 65 and older resulting in 8,572 deaths, the highest figure since at least 1975.  

Older drivers

Decisions about your ability to drive should never be based on age alone. However, changes in vision, physical fitness and reflexes may cause safety concerns. By accurately assessing age-related changes, you can adjust your driving habits to remain safe on the road or choose other kinds of transportation. 

Suppose you’ve noticed changes in your vision, physical fitness, attention and ability to quickly react to sudden changes. In that case, it’s important to understand how these changes may be affecting your ability to drive safely, according to the NHTSA. One way to stay safe while driving is by making sure you understand how medical conditions can impact your ability to drive safely. Information for drivers who have had Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, cataracts, diabetes, glaucoma, macular degeneration, Parkinson’s disease, sleep apnea or a stroke is available at www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/older-drivers. 

Older drivers can also improve their safety by adapting their motor vehicles to ensure they fit them properly, choosing appropriate features, installing and knowing how to use adaptive devices, and practicing good vehicle maintenance, according to the NHTSA.  

Some adaptive equipment, such as a special seat-back cushion, can provide a better view of the road for as little as $50, the NHTSA wrote. More complex equipment, such as hand controls, can be purchased for under $1,000. However, a new vehicle modified with adaptive equipment will cost anywhere from $20,000 to $80,000. 

There are programs that may help pay part or all of the cost of vehicle modification. For information, visit www.nwaccessfund.org. 

Caregivers

Talking with an older person about their driving is often difficult, the NHTSA wrote. Most of us delay that talk until the person’s driving has become what we believe to be dangerous. At that point, conversations can be tense and awkward for everyone involved. But there are things you can say and do to make those conversations more productive and less tense. 

Ideally, you will have a conversation about your interest in ensuring that the driver remains safe on the road. Explain that riding with the driver is the best, most practical way to make observations about his or her driving. Another option may be to follow the driver in your own vehicle. 

You should watch the person drive at different times of the day, in different types of traffic, and in different road conditions and weather. Over time, a picture will emerge of things the driver can do well and things the driver might not do as well. 

You should be paying attention to make sure that the driver: 

• Stops at all stop signs and looks both ways to check for cross traffic; 

• Stops at red lights; 

• Appropriately yields the right-of-way; 

• Responds properly to other vehicles, motorcyclists, bicyclists, pedestrians, and road hazards; 

• Merges and changes lanes safely; and 

• Stays in the lane when turning or driving straight. 

In addition, you want to observe whether the person is: 

• Slowing or stopping inappropriately, such as at green lights or in intersections; 

• Driving too fast for road conditions; 

• Driving so slowly as to impede the safe flow of traffic; 

• Driving aggressively; or 

• Getting lost routinely on routes that should be familiar for the driver. 

For more information visit www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/older-drivers.