Driving Safely While Aging

Contribution provided from across the pond from Feller Wendt personal injury attorneys

Driving is an important part of many people’s lives that enables them to run errands, shop for groceries, attend appointments, socialize, and enjoy an active lifestyle. However, continuing to drive as you reach an advanced age can come with risks.

Aging can cause changes in the body that affect your ability to perform everyday tasks, including driving. Older adults are also more likely to suffer fatal injuries in car accidents. According to the CDC, 20 older adults are killed every day in car accidents across the United States, and 540 are injured.

If you are starting to experience age-related limitations that make driving more challenging, it may be time to make important decisions about whether it is safe to continue driving—both for yourself and others. That said, you may be able to safely continue driving for years by taking advantage of adaptive technologies.

Physical Changes That May Affect Your Driving

Physical changes are inevitable as we age, sometimes creating new challenges while driving. Everyone ages differently. You may have difficulty turning your head, moving the steering wheel, or pressing the gas and brake pedals. You may also find it more difficult to see in the dark or gauge distance. This section goes over some of the most common age-related driving issues.

Vision Impairment

Normal age-related decline can make seeing the dashboard or road hazards, such as potholes and debris, more challenging. The following vision-related conditions are common among older adults:

Near-sightedness

Macular degeneration

Cataracts

Diabetic retinopathy

Glaucoma

Dry eyes

Floaters

These conditions can cause a loss of peripheral vision, blurriness, impaired depth perception, light flashes, night blindness, and even total blindness.

Hearing Loss

Hearing loss affects approximately one in three adults aged 65 to 74 and nearly half of adults over 75, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Driving with reduced hearing can prevent you from responding to car horns, emergency sirens, and oncoming vehicles. Many senior drivers with impaired hearing adapt by becoming more alert to their visual surroundings, but this may not be enough to keep you safe.

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