When are you going to give up driving?

fuzzybuddy

fuzzybuddy

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Location
The Sticks, Northeast PA.
It happens. You're sitting in your car, giving your order at a KFC. But they don't have "drive-thru". Aunt Betty is 92 and she still drives, and sometimes she even uses the street. Let's face it, it's coming. We all say, we'll give up driving whenever we are a danger to others. But the truth is as long as you can get your car started, we're gonna drive.
 

Good question. And a tough one to answer. I know when my brother had to be the one to tell my dad his driving days were over, it was hard on my dad to lose that independence. This was in the days before driving services. I think as Lon can attest, it may be an easier decision now, with services like Uber. I would like to drive as long as I am safely able. Hope it is as long as possible.
 
Marie5656 said:
Good question. And a tough one to answer. I know when my brother had to be the one to tell my dad his driving days were over, it was hard on my dad to lose that independence. This was in the days before driving services. I think as Lon can attest, it may be an easier decision now, with services like Uber. I would like to drive as long as I am safely able. Hope it is as long as possible.
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I completely agree, and that's my plan, too.
 

I am 71 and am a very nervous driver. I think I will know when to give it up because the day will come when I will feel so terribly uncomfortable behind the wheel I just won't be able to drive. Right now the hubby does all the distant driving. I am very cautious and drive only in familiar areas that are only a couple of miles away and we are in a rather rural area.. I park far away from the store which makes pulling out easier. We do have town transportation that I will probably use when the time comes and my son lives close by. I hope this will make my decision easier also.
 
My intentions are to quit at 80. So GM/FORD/HONDA/ETC you have 9 1/2 years to get those self-driving cars ready.
 
Some years ago I was nearly in a serous accident because some idiot started to turn across a line of fast oncoming traffic.

Luckily he realised in time and stopped, but everybody had to swerve round him, that's how close it was.

The idiot was me.

I swore then that once was an aberration, but if it happened again I'd give up.

So far it hasn't happened again.
 
Most people don't know when to quit. They "think" they are still good drivers. I'm hearing all the time from friends of the problems they are having getting a parent to stop driving. When told they are not safe drivers, they don't believe you and fight tooth and nail to keep driving. My father blames ever scratch and dent on "other" drivers. My mother is an excellent driver but he argues with her regarding who should drive.
I was on I-95 this past weekend and for 5 miles both North bound lanes were a rolling road block. When I finally got to the front of the line in the passing lane, there was an older gentleman driving at 40mph and wouldn't get out of the passing lane. Last summer, I had an older woman come down my street and turn in my driveway looking for her house. She said she was lost and was looking for her house. She turned her car around and left and a few minutes later showed up again. My husband talked her into getting out of her car and calling a relative. I live in Pennsylvania. She lived in New Jersey. I'm sure you know of other instances.
Please make sure you listen when it's your turn for the "talk". Oh, and take a good look at your car, if there are dents and scratches don't assume it's caused by other people.
 
Well, I hope to give up driving perhaps about 10 years after I can't ride my bicycle anymore.
I hope to ride my bike for another 6 or 8 years. I know, don't ask.
 
Where I live. Ontario Canada when you get to be 80 your licence is not automatically renewed.

You have to make an appointment and attend a Group Education Session which includes an in-class screening component to help better assess your fitness to drive and determine next steps.
Complete a vision test
Undergo a driving record review.

You also may be required to pass a road test and submit medical information.

Now I have attended two sessions already and will be attending a third next month.

The last session consisted of a written test.
This is what it consisted of: On a blank sheet. Draw a clock with all the hours marked and place the hands of the clock at 10 minutes to 10.
(Sounds simple enough, but there were some in attendance that could not do it.) That is supposed to recognize cognitive ability.
Also. On another sheet. Two or three lines of letters all together and you are told to cross out every 'h' you can see.

Then there is a question and answer session where you get a lecture about driving and road signs, and mergers, and on screen situations.
You are told that you must answer at least one of the questions asked during this session.

I had no problem and my drivers licence was renewed for two more years. That was in 2012. I need to go again in 2014.

There is also a medical statement you must answer on the application whether you have been advised by a doctor that you have a condition that may prevent you from driving a vehicle safely and you must answer yes or no and if yes what the condition is.

I hate driving at night now so I avoid it and take a bus instead and I hate mergers as well so just stay away from them.
 
I am 82 and made the decision (which was damn hard) myself because the Peripheral Neuropathy in both feet leaves me with no feeling and switching from brake to accelerator required concentration that detracted me from driving properly. That was two months ago and as I have posted I've been using UBER ever since. Since most of my driving was within the city in which I live UBER fits the bill for me nicely.
I have received all kinds of kudos and pats on the back for making this decision on my own, which is nice, but I would prefer still being able to drive myself. I figure with the cash I got for my car and my savings on Auto Insurance I can use UBER until I am 105 years old.
 
My mother keeps saying, "When you girls think it's time for me to stop driving, just tell me and I won't drive any more!" and we all have a good laugh. So far, she's an excellent driver at 91 with excellent eyesight and good reflexes but I'm not looking forward to that future date when we DO have to tell her to stop. I have a feeling she'll be singing another song then.....
 
I think about this and I hope I don't have to ever go cold turkey.

In my state they renew your drivers license every 8 years, it is my hope that even if I stop driving I can still maintain my drivers license.

I have stopped driving on the interstates and toll roads, I rarely drive at night or in bad weather. At this point I drive about 5,000 miles per year and only about 1,000 of that is truly necessary, the rest is joy riding to escape the confines of my little apartment.

I keep looking for new places to live that will allow me better access to senior citizen grocery and shopping buses or that have some services available on the premises.

I hope to gradually reduce my driving and eventually be one of those old folks that has a pristine automobile in the garage that hasn't been driven in twenty years, we'll see.
 
My wife stopped driving 3 years ago, she didn't feel comfortable with all the medications she takes. She was 82 last week.

My sister still drives, but not a lot, she is 88.

In my working years I drove about 40,000 miles a year, now I drive about 4,000 miles a year and the car has only 18,000 miles on it. It is still the easiest way to fetch groceries or run out to the beach. We will play this one by ear.
 
I gave up driving about 6 or 7 years ago at age 63 or 64, I think. I had glaucoma and driving at night was problematic and not safe due to the way lights of oncoming traffic affected my eyes. Right about the same time I had my eye surgery and had to keep one eye covered (even after healing...long story), someone hit my car while it was parked. I was surprised when the insurance company "totaled it". I decided I did not want to be bothered with a used car (had bought that one new), so I just wouldn't get another car. My husband was stunned. A good part of my career was spent in the field, covering many counties in the state. I loved the feeling of freedom being on the road. I never thought I'd be okay not having the independence of driving but I really don't miss it.
 
I wanted to be way out in the woods. I'm surround by state game lands. We only got pizza delivery two years ago. If I take a cab to my MDs and back, it's about a $100. So I got to keep driving as long as possible. I drive only during the daylight hours- cataracts. Don't drive at night, don't want to run over a Domino's guy.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
I wanted to be way out in the woods. I'm surround by state game lands. We only got pizza delivery two years ago. If I take a cab to my MDs and back, it's about a $100. So I got to keep driving as long as possible. I drive only during the daylight hours- cataracts. Don't drive at night, don't want to run over a Domino's guy.
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Cataracts are fixable. I had my last one done in 1997,went in in the morning and was and home for lunch. A few days later I went to the DMV and they took my glasses off my drivers license. In earlier times it was not nearly as easy.
 
I worry about it. At age 73 I find my mind isn't as quick as it was just 2 yrs ago. If I'm distracted it takes a few seconds for me to figure out just what it is, in the meantime I'm driving ever so slowly ,thank goodness, into a bush or worse. With the price of keeping up a car I just might take on Lon's idea that it'd pay me to use uber and even delivery. Hadn't considered that before ;)
 

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