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I'm 80 and went thru a knee issue which damaged my knee so much that I have a tough time walking. I use a walker. I guess I could drive if I really pushed it, but when I was in my 70's I was getting sick of the traffic and costs of auto up keep. So with the help of some friends in my apt bldg I decided to sell my car. Stipulation is if I ever buy another car (which I won't) I will get my parking space back. My fear is that my knee could get stuck etc and I really could get in trouble behind the wheel.
I'm saving a lot of money too, before I was taking money out of savings to support my car, not now.
It's actually a relief not to have that burden anymore. Some days wish I had it but then I make it thru, friends help me and I have to get to using Lyft social program in our town...I drove about 60 yrs...
A doctor can restrict their driving if they deem then unsafe. He will then report the restriction to the SS and they will record it.
That's not true in every state. I tried to report an extremely disabled, demented, unsafe driver in Illinois, and was told that they had no provision for reporting unsafe elderly drivers.
Drivers age 70 and older have higher crash rates per mile traveled than than middle-aged drivers.
"They’re more likely than most drivers to die in a crash."
"Per mile traveled, fatal crash rates increase noticeably starting at age 70-74 and are highest among drivers who are 85 and older, according to a 2015 study in Accident Analysis and Prevention, an industry journal."
A quick Google search doesn't turn up a single state where a doctor can restrict driving by filling out a form and mailing it in.
Even if it was possible, hard to imagine any physician opening this can of worms. At best, they might provide an opinion pressed by family.
Florida for one.
“Any physician, person, or agency having knowledge of any licensed driver’s or applicant’s mental or physical disability to drive . . . is authorized to report such knowledge to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
When reporting an individual whose driving ability is questionable due to some physical or mental deficit or disorder, please complete as much of the information listed below as possible:"
If taking away the car keys is illegal, then I'll commit the crime. It's better than a parent being charged with a crime when they kill someone. (If anyone has an actual stories of someone being charged and convicted of a crime when they took a parent's keys away, please post links to the stories.)
I don't think anyone has to worry about this. At best it would be considered a "defense of necessity."
Separately I don't know what texting has to do with any of this. Texting is an intentional act.
As a side note, C-D is odd. We have threads filled with young people telling us we shouldn't drive, and in the one thread dealing with senior issues, we're emphatically told that they should drive.
In some instances (experience in ALF/NH's), this car-key issue comes down to a balance between preserving one's sense of independence to get-out and drive one's self somewhere - and the likelihood of that happening. This can sometimes be accomplished by leaving the car and keys where they are, and removing the distributor cap or ??. I've seen cases where this brings peace of mind to the 'children,' yet maintains the dignity and sense of independence of the 'parent' - while the vehicle never moves from the parking lot.
Of course, if one is truly dealing with an active driver, who is a danger to themselves and others, a different (more difficult) approach is necessary. How one approaches this issue is important. Simply demanding that an older person stop driving and relinquish their car keys, is rarely a viable approach. Keep in mind, not all 80+-year old's are automatically rendered unable to drive safely or make reasonable decisions.
Calmly expressing concern and providing specifically observed examples (tickets, accidents, etc) -- while respectfully encouraging alternative transportation (ie; Uber, Lyft, etc) - is more likely to produce a workable solution. Older folks are usually keenly aware of their limitations, but, don't want to be a burden on others or lose their own sense of independence.
we just had a case in this area where an 89yo turned around and headed the wrong way down the interstate, eventually hitting and killing a much younger person in another car. My second thought, after how tragic, was GIANT lawsuit. Anyone who was expecting to inherit from Grandpa's estate can kiss that goodbye. Maybe that thought would be enough to take someone's driving privilege away.
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