When to Take Away the Keys
With the number of drivers 70 and older increasing and 1 in 5 Americans caring for an older loved one, the number of adults dealing with concerns about their parents’ driving abilities is on the rise.
Driving behavior warning signs vary. Some of the less serious issues may be overcome with changes in driving behavior or physical fitness, while the more serious behaviors may require immediate action. Making a single minor driving mistake doesn’t mean that a person needs to stop driving. What families need to do is look for patterns of warning signs and for an increase in frequency and severity of the warning signs.
Twenty driving warning signs ranked from minor to serious:
- Decrease in confidence while driving
- Difficulty turning to see when backing up
- Easily distracted while driving
- Other drivers often honk horns
- Hitting curbs
- Scrapes or dents on the car, mailbox or garage
- Increased agitation or irritation when driving
- Failure to notice traffic signs or important activity on the side of the road
- Trouble navigating turns
- Driving at inappropriate speeds
- Uses a “copilot”
- Bad judgment making left turns
- Delayed response to unexpected situations
- Moving into wrong lane or difficulty maintaining lane position
- Confusion at exits
- Ticketed moving violations or warnings
- Getting lost in familiar places
- Car accident
- Failure to stop at stop sign or red light
- Stopping in traffic for no apparent reason
Source: http://www.parentgiving.com
Contact Pure Home Care Services at (586) 293-2457 today! If you live in Grosse Pointe or the surrounding area, we can help you care for your loved ones.