This forum says "older drivers" and I need advice.

WheatenLover

WheatenLover

Senior Member
Location
Georgia
I am about to become the owner of 2004 Honda CRV with 102K miles on it. It used to belong to my mother, now it belongs to my daughter, and I'm next.

The trouble is I haven't done much driving during the last 5 years. In 2020-2021 I had cancer treatments and could not drive. In September 2022 I moved to another state and drove there. By then I had cataracts and vision problems and I could not drive, except for getting my son and I to our new home. In late 2023 I moved to Georgia. Still with cataracts, but no car. I haven't driven much at all. In 2024, I had cataract surgery, but still no car. I had several major personal problems and I wasn't motivated to buy a car. I was motivated to become an introvert, so I didn't want to go many places anyway.

What should I do to become comfortable with driving again? I live in a huge metro area with a lot of traffic. Keeping in mind that I lived in a rural place with 2000 people for 11 years, and then in a small town, and then a place with 1800 people, from 2009-2023. Plus I don't know my way around. I have been to a few places -- doctor's offices, Walmart, TJ Maxx, Aldi's, but I have no idea how to get there. I also have practically no sense of direction. Of course, I have a cell phone and maps app, which is why I haven't ended up in Alaska or Arizona on my way to the grocery store.

Plus, this CRV is so old it doesn't have safety features on it. I'd like to add the blind spot thing and the thing that lets one back up by seeing what is behind me on a screen. My former Subaru had tons of safety features on it, but I can't buy a new car because I gave one of my sons a lot of money (over time) when he was homeless in L.A. for a few years. Well, I could --- but that would deplete half my savings.

I'd appreciate some advice. Thank you.
 

Start off on very low traffic streets with a companion who is a good driver. Once you get used to the car and are more comfortable move into busier streets, again with a companion. Don't forget to practice parking and close quarter situations. I'll bet you'd be surprised how fast it comes back to you.

Well, sorry if it's repetitive, happens when one is a slow typer.
 

Teacher Terry said:
I would have a friend drive you to a rural area and start practicing there with them in your car to help get comfortable driving again. I would use your gps everywhere you go on your phone. It will talk to you so you don’t need to look at it.,
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Yeah, the phone gps has saved my bacon many times. Before cell phones, I got lost a lot. I had to tell my kids that they weren't lost because they were with me, so they wouldn't get anxious.

There must be a rural area around here somewhere; that's a good idea. Honestly, I had never seen a farm until I moved to the rural area 2009. There were farms all over the place. We lived next to a dairy farm. I loved it, and learned a lot. Like you cannot keep chickens in the basement during the freezing winters, so they will be warm. You cannot buy one cow and expect to get milk from it. No, all farms do not have horses. No, you cannot housebreak a goat and let it stay in the house. There were a lot of no's to my Great Ideas.
 
Flarbalard said:
Start off on very low traffic streets with a companion who is a good driver. Once you get used to the car and are more comfortable move into busier streets, again with a companion. Don't forget to practice parking and close quarter situations. I'll bet you'd be surprised how fast it comes back to you.

Well, sorry if it's repetitive, happens when one is a slow typer.
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That's a great idea! Thank you!
 
I have a terrible sense of direction and before GPS if I moved to a new town, I would literally have a book in my car that would give me directions from my home to the places I went regularly. If I was leaving from school or work I would write down the directions specifically from the place I was leaving from. I have lived in five states so it was quite a problem.

Luckily my husband was very good at directions. So when we would move I would get out the map and I would get out my book and he would map out how I would go to regular places I would use. He wasn’t usually a very patient man, but he was when it came to my lack of directional ability.
 
Can you just take a couple of refresher driving lessons with a driving school, just to remind you of everything, and familiarise yourself with the roads, and workings of the car.

It doesn't take long to lose confidence once you've not driven for a while and especially if you live in a high traffic area...

The other thing is with regard knowing where to go.. download the Street App Waze..or google maps onto your phone ,,because clearly in 21 year old car I'm guessing you don't have built in Sat Nav...

Start with learning how to get to the places you will want to go to most often.. stores, hospital, surgery, wherever you most often go... and do that several times before venturing to different less familiar areas ..choose much quieter times of the day..like 5 or 6am...
 
When my daughter was first starting to drive, we lived in a high traffic area, but we went to a mall parking lot during hours when there were not many cars around. I wanted her to get comfortable behind the wheel there, rather than on public streets.

Also, a mall is considered private property. I think police are allowed to issue citations on a mall parking lot - I didn't spend a lot of time looking into that - but it's less likely they would be present on the lot during off hours, or interfere when there's not much going on.

Even if they stopped you to ask what was going on, it would be simple enough to explain your situation, and you would have a good chance of them accepting it, more so than if they stopped you on a public street for something they perceived to be a violation.
 
Start small. Sit down with a map of the area you live in. Learn the main streets so you have the big picture. Use your phone GPS all the time. Drive at quieter times of day. Avoid major events.

If you’re going to something in the DT area, take public transportation.

Have automotive roadside insurance.
 
MACKTEXAS said:
When my daughter was first starting to drive, we lived in a high traffic area, but we went to a mall parking lot during hours when there were not many cars around. I wanted her to get comfortable behind the wheel there, rather than on public streets.

Also, a mall is considered private property. I think police are allowed to issue citations on a mall parking lot - I didn't spend a lot of time looking into that - but it's less likely they would be present on the lot during off hours, or interfere when there's not much going on.

Even if they stopped you to ask what was going on, it would be simple enough to explain your situation, and you would have a good chance of them accepting it, more so than if they stopped you on a public street for something they perceived to be a violation.
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I did simialr with my daughter... We had a private airfield near our house, and so I took her there....
 

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