Keeping your senior driving is absolutely possible as long as she’s doing so safely. Some of these concerns might factor into your decision to continue letting her drive on her own.
Defensive Driving Techniques Make a Difference
Defensive driving sounds like it might be aggressive, but what it really means is that your senior is using techniques that can help her to be safer and to avoid trouble on the road. Techniques like driving at the proper speed and leaving room between her vehicle and other cars make a huge difference. Talk to your senior about how she drives or set up a trip during which you can observe how she’s driving for yourself.
She Needs to Be Aware of What’s Going on Around Her
Your senior can’t avoid obstacles or problems if she’s not aware of them in the first place. Part of being an active driver is paying attention to what’s going on around her and ensuring that she’s able to navigate properly. Intersections are a common problem, because there’s so much that can go wrong there. If your senior has trouble with her attention wandering, that can be a problem behind the wheel, too.
Electronics Might Be a New Concern
It might have taken your senior a little while to get used to the additional electronics in her car, like GPS devices and new dashboards that are Internet-capable. But now that she is, does she use those electronics responsibly? Using Bluetooth connectivity to use her smartphone hands-free is a good idea, but if she’s allowing those conversations to distract her from driving, that could be a problem.
Obeying Traffic Laws Matters More than She Thinks
If your senior has been driving for a long time, she might not even be aware of some of the newer traffic laws on the books. That doesn’t mean that it’s okay for her to ignore them, though. Your senior might find that she’s collecting more tickets, either for moving violations or for issues with parking incidents. Regardless, an increase in tickets can be costly in terms of fines and insurance premiums, but it can also mean that she’s having more trouble driving.
Driving can be a huge sticking point for your senior. It’s closely tied to independence and to a lot of other issues, like self-confidence. She might try to continue driving even if she feels that she’s not safe behind the wheel. If you can offer her other options, like having senior care providers doing the driving for her, you can help her to continue to go wherever she wants but in a much safer way.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Senior Care Services in Newton MA, or anywhere in Eastern Massachusetts, please call the caring staff at CARE Resolutions – (508) 906-5572.
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