Driving Safely While Aging
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.
Arthritis
The pain and stiffness of arthritis can make it difficult to handle a steering wheel, especially while turning and backing. Arthritis in the feet can also make reaching the pedals and applying pressure difficult, in turn making it harder to control your speed or come to a stop.
Arthritis in your neck can cause difficulty turning your head, resulting in a delayed response to hazards. For example, it could prevent you from turning your head far enough to check blind spots while merging or switching lanes.
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is more common as we age due to changes in the brain. It is associated with strokes, tumors, Alzheimer’s disease, and other health conditions common in the elderly. Epileptic seizures are unpredictable and may lead to a complete loss of awareness or consciousness.
If you have a seizure while driving, you could lose control of your vehicle, resulting in a serious accident. Most states allow people with epilepsy to drive, but only if they have been seizure-free for a specified period, often around a year.
Diabetes
Diabetes causes blood sugar highs and lows. When blood sugar drops too low, you could experience the following symptoms, all of which can make driving dangerous:
- Confusion
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Loss of consciousness
- Anxiety
- Irritability
High blood sugar can also lead serious conditions that affect driving, including diabetic retinopathy and nerve damage (neuropathy). Peripheral neuropathy is the most common type of diabetic neuropathy. It causes pain, tingling, numbness, and loss of sensation in the extremities. Neuropathy can make it difficult to steer, accelerate, or stop your vehicle.
Heart and Lung Conditions
The following heart and lung conditions can cause shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, fatigue, chest pain, dizziness, and loss of consciousness at unpredictable times, increasing the risk of serious accidents:
- Heart attack
- Arrhythmias
- Congestive heart failure
- Peripheral artery disease
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Uncontrolled high or low blood pressure
Fatigue
Fatigue often results from chronic health problems or side effects from medication. It can also stem from sleep disorders, such as insomnia, sleep apnea, and restless leg syndrome. Regardless of the cause, fatigue reduces alertness, slows reaction times, and increases anxiety, all of which can make driving dangerous. The most significant risk of driving with fatigue is falling asleep at the wheel.
Cognitive Changes That May Affect Driving Abilities
Slowed neurological processing is a very normal part of aging, even if you are not diagnosed with a form of cognitive impairment. Driving requires a high level of alertness in the ever-changing, unpredictable environment of the road. If you regularly experience any of the following symptoms, it may be time to talk to your health care provider and consider making some adjustments:
- Memory loss – You sometimes forget where you are, how to get to familiar destinations, traffic laws, or how to operate your vehicle. You may forget to use your blinkers or yield to traffic when required.
- Confusion – You feel overwhelmed and unable to make driving decisions, such as which way to turn.
- Reduced attention span – You often “space out” while driving, creating the same dangers as distracted or inattentive driving.
- Slower reaction time – You experience “near misses” and minor accidents because you take longer to perceive or respond to hazards.
- Difficulty multitasking – You have trouble dividing attention between driving tasks, such as controlling your speed while monitoring traffic.
- Problem-solving challenges – Everyday tasks on the road are harder, such as switching lanes, merging, and parking.
Dementia and Driving
According to one study, approximately 30 percent of adults with dementia and 60 percent of adults with mild cognitive impairment drive. A dementia diagnosis does not automatically mean you cannot drive, but assessing whether you can do so safely is important.
Many forms of dementia are progressive, leading to increased confusion, difficulty concentrating, memory problems, impaired judgment, and risky behaviors. Even if you can drive safely today, it may still be a good time to plan ahead for when you can no longer do so.
How Medications Can Affect Driving
Many older adults use prescription drugs to treat health conditions, and doctors commonly prescribe multiple drugs to the same patient. Even when taken alone, many have side effects that impair driving ability, including:
- Antidepressants
- Sedatives
- Hypnotics
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
- Benzodiazepines
- Opioids
Driving under the influence of these medications can lead to speeding, hitting a curb, drifting out of your lane, and failing to notice traffic signals. According to a 2024 study published in Accident Analysis and Prevention, the risk of hard-braking events also increases as the number of medications increases. Talk to your doctor about your medications, how they impact your ability to drive safely, and how long you should wait to drive after each dose.
Safety Tips For Driving At Night
Nighttime driving requires greater visual acuity and faster response times than daytime driving. According to the National Safety Council, half of all accidents occur at night, even though only a quarter of driving occurs after dark.
Older adults often find driving at night especially challenging due to vision changes that magnify glare from headlights, make it harder to see the road, and reduce depth perception. These tips can help you drive safely at night:
- Use familiar routes.
- Increase following distances.
- Slow down and stay alert.
- Avoid distractions, such as adjusting the radio or talking on the phone.
- Look at the lines on the sides of the road when approaching oncoming vehicles rather than directly into their headlights.
- Consult an optometrist to determine whether cataract surgery or corrective lenses could improve your night vision.
- Keep your windshield and wipers clean.
- Keep your headlights clean and check their alignment.
- Turn off bright screens inside your car.
- If available, keep your rearview mirror in night mode to reduce the glare from headlights behind you.
Adaptive Driving for Seniors
For many seniors, driving is critical for maintaining their independence and quality of life. Understandably, many hesitate to give up their keys even if they start having driving difficulties. You may be able to continue driving without sacrificing safety by using senior-friendly vehicles equipped with adaptive technology like a:
- Panoramic mirror to make it easier to see blind spots
- Backup camera
- Swivel seat cushion to prevent falls when entering and exiting the vehicle
- Seat belt extender
- Pedal extender
- Lane departure warning system
- Adaptive cruise control
- Parking assist technology
- Steering wheel equipment that makes it easier to grip and turn the wheel
Adaptive driving technology can boost your confidence, give your family peace of mind, and extend the number of years you can drive safely. Many of these tools are customizable.
How to Know When to Stop Driving
The decision to stop driving is not an easy one. However, if you are experiencing one or more of the following, even with adaptive technology, it may be time to make a difficult but courageous choice that will keep you and others safe:
- Your family members and friends express concerns about your driving.
- Other people are unwilling to ride with you.
- People frequently honk at you.
- You have had major or minor accidents or near-misses.
- You get lost in familiar areas.
- You frequently drive too fast or too slow.
- You have trouble staying in your lane.
- You have difficulty staying awake while driving.
- You forget to use your mirrors or turn signals.
- You miss traffic signals and signs.
- You are easily angered, agitated, or stressed while driving.
- You have trouble gauging distances.
- You drive in inappropriate places, such as in the wrong lane or incorrectly down one-way streets.
Talking to Your Loved One About Giving Up the Keys
Close family members often play an important role in determining when an older adult should no longer drive. However, not driving can be an emotionally charged topic because it may imply a reduction in personal autonomy.
Always approach the topic with empathy. Be prepared to discuss practical ways to help your loved one maintain independence and avoid being stuck at home. Try to make a gradual transition so it is easier when the time comes to stop driving. In the meantime, encourage your loved one to obtain a driving assessment and offer your support.
Mental Health Concerns
Older adults must often depend on others for transportation when they can no longer drive. This may cause feelings of helplessness and low self-esteem. According to one source, giving up driving nearly doubles the risk of depression among older adults. Some studies also show that it can induce physical decline. Older adults who give up their keys may:
- Feel unable to participate in social activities they previously enjoyed.
- Become isolated and bored as a result of being stuck at home.
- Have difficulty understanding how to use public transportation.
- Be reluctant to ask friends and family for rides to avoid feeling like a burden.
As a result, they may lose access to health care and have difficulty obtaining groceries, medications, and other essential products. Having a strong support network can be crucial to avoid a decline in mental and emotional health.
Staying Independent Without Driving
For many people, not driving is a big change, but it does not have to cost your independence. You may need help from friends and family for some of your transportation needs, but there may also be driving alternatives for seniors in your community, including:
- City buses
- Public transit for seniors
- Taxi and rideshare services
- Volunteer organizations that provide rides to seniors
You may be able to receive grocery and medication delivery through local businesses, home care agencies, and nonprofit organizations. You can locate many of these community services by calling 211. Area Agencies on Aging in your region can also provide a list of transportation resources.
Many senior centers also provide opportunities for social engagement, including rides to their activities. Some also provide rides to the grocery store.
Life Can Be Good After Setting Aside Your Keys
Driving safely while aging is entirely possible. Even if you experience age-related health concerns and limitations, adaptive driving technologies can help keep you behind the wheel.
However, it is also important to recognize when it is time to make adjustments. You can maximize your quality of life and enjoy an active, independent lifestyle without driving by planning and exploring alternatives for seniors in your community.
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