Deciding if senior drivers should give up their licence can be difficult for all involved, writes RACQ member Paul Reeves.
I am a health professional and have been concerned about the controversial and difficult decision relating to when seniors should surrender their driver licence.
As we age, our reflex responses slow. Some experience sensory deterioration in hearing and vision while others become less environmentally aware of road signage, traffic lights and other drivers.
This can result in anxiety in both the senior driver, other road users, and relatives.
It is hoped that regular examination by the driver’s general practitioner would alert motor registration authorities of potential risks of the senior-driver patient.
But this isn’t always the case. Some GPs choose not to ‘upset their clients’ by suggesting that maybe they should consider stopping driving.
Unfortunately, for the senior driver, this means a change of lifestyle; it affects their independence and to some degree their social life.
The thought of not driving terrifies many elderly drivers, especially if they have been driving 50-plus years. It’s a significant change of lifestyle to rely on relatives or public transport, to go shopping or to church, or even visit friends.
A friend of mine is currently at the crossroads (no pun intended) with her elderly mother, who has symptoms of dementia and suffers a serious lack of environmental awareness when driving.
It seems due to sheer luck and the quick evasive actions of other drivers that accidents haven’t occurred.
I experienced the same with my late mother who was involved in a motor vehicle accident a decade ago.
She had always been a careful driver as a single mother bringing up three sons on her own.
After her motor vehicle accident, I had noticed that her reaction time and cognitive ability had become impaired; something wasn’t right with her mentally and physically.
I started to worry about her driving ability and awareness while driving.
She was physically capable, her sight was fair following cataract surgery and her hearing was sound.
What concerned me was her cognitive functioning. She was due for a licence renewal and with gentle support and conversation about my concerns, I was able to convince her to be assessed by a qualified driving instructor.
I didn’t want my mother to lose her independence and joy of driving, however I didn’t want her to cause an accident either, resulting in the death or serious injury of other people.
Having her tested again for her driving ability was difficult for both of us. I didn’t want this to affect my relationship with my mother and I didn’t want to cause her any embarrassment either.
My mother disappeared down the road with the instructor and after 10 minutes I received a phone call. It was the driving instructor. Unfortunately, my mother failed her test.
She had made several mistakes.
These included not keeping within her lane, running through a stop sign, being confused as to who should give way at an intersection and failing to see a pedestrian crossing in front of her.
I informed her general practitioner and she agreed not to drive ever again.
I was content in the fact that my mum was never going to be responsible for causing a motor vehicle accident or injuring or killing herself or other people.
It was evident a few years later she was suffering Alzheimer’s which eventually took her life.
I am sure many readers can relate to my story.
See Road Rules for more information.