Older Drivers

One of the blessings of running this web site are the "conversations" that I have with the people who find me through my writing. Sometimes they share some very personal views with me and occasionally allow me to share it here. This is one of those stories.

A project of the Roadway Safety Foundation, a U.S. non-profit, the site is designed to be a centralized, user-friendly, and dynamic source of information pertaining to highway safety for aging drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists. Built as a comprehensive resource, it covers all three major components of highway safety: safe roadways, safe road users, and safe vehicles.

We have built our world around the convenience of the motor vehicle. Without one, our focus suddenly becomes much more narrow. Are you prepared to cope with the decision to stop driving when the time comes?

The new year will bring changes to how drivers are re-examined to insure that they are safe to continue to drive. Current DriveABLE testing will be replaced by an Enhanced Road Assessment (ERA) that will be administered by ICBC at no cost.

I have a tenant that is elderly and her vehicle is parked on the street and uninsured.

The mechanical soundness of the vehicle is seriously questionable. The vehicle owner said that the brakes are not working and she had to use the emergency brake to stop the vehicle in the past.

There have been times that she was so heavily medicated, people were surprised to see her get in her vehicle and drive away.

As we approach 80 we get a notification from ICBC to book an appointment with our GP to review our health issues and to see if we are still able to drive.

Here is my complaint.

This is a report from Britain that examines the needs of an aging population in the context of our current highway system.

Question: When it comes to medical exams, it's worthy of note that every driver is asked about their health when they first apply for any class of license. That doesn't mean that they're inflexible; even an epileptic can drive if they've been seizure free for long enough.

I am often asked about driver testing, particularly now that some older drivers are being given cognitive testing as part of the mandatory medical evaluation at and after age 80. This is called the SIMARD test and was developed at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.

My father, who just turned 80, is undergoing a mandatory drivers' exam next month. He did not pass the previous one, largely due to his inability to shoulder check, according to the score sheet he was given.