How to help older drivers to stay safe on the road
Driving safely is critical for drivers and other road users, as well as pedestrians and cyclist. Your older relative might find driving is more challenging than it used to be, but we have a few straight-forward tips to help.
Is the car your older relative is driving the best car for them?
It is worth checking whether or not your elderly parent’s car is helping or hindering their driving.
- Manual cars can be harder to drive than automatics if they have mobility issues or joint problems
- How good is the power-steering? It might be that the assistance it is providing is not good enough
- Would extra mirrors help if neck mobility is restricted?
- How easy is it to put items in and out of the boot or to store walkers and wheelchairs?
- If your older relative is struggling with foot controls, you can get hand controls fitted to help with braking etc
- Is the seat comfortable and offering enough lumbar support to prevent backache and not exacerbate existing health problems?
- Has the car got sat nav? Many cars have sat nav built in, but if not, there are some inexpensive systems availabale, which take the stress out of navigating to new or even familiar places
- You can get a driving assessment at DVLA Motability centres
Does your older relative need to refresh their driving skills?
Even the most experienced drivers might benefit from refresher courses. Roads are much busier than they used to be and sometimes confident drivers can need some moral support. Most good driving instructors will be happy to take your older parent for a lesson or two to help them drive safely on today’s roads and especially on motorways, where some people do lose their nerve as they age. The Institute of Mature Driving run courses especially for older people and the AA run a free Drive Confident course.
Is your older relative’s eyesight good enough for driving?
As we age, our eyesight changes and it is absolutely critical to ensure that your older relative can see properly and is not impaired by cataracts, macular degeneration or other eye issues which can seriously impair their driving.
Can your older parent be registered as disabled?
You can find out more about this HERE. Disabled drivers get many parking concessions to help them park nearer to shops etc, so that they do not have to walk so far.
