Older Driver Safety Awareness Week Focuses On Planning Ahead

The annual observance to remind and encourage older drivers and their families to talk about the impact of aging on driving and making a safe driving plan – Older Driver Safety Awareness Week – runs through Dec. 6 this year.

Advancing age can bring impairments that affect driving ability, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and the number of older drivers is growing and they are keeping their licenses longer.

Crashes are typically more harmful for older adults than younger adults because reaction times decrease with age, and older people may be more prone to injury in a crash, road safety experts say. Vision, cognition and motor function all impact driving abilities.

To mark the nationwide initiative, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a consumer alert about safe driving as people age and to stress the critical need to have conversations to address and navigate changes in driving behaviors and learn about the importance of planning ahead.

Fatalities in traffic crashes in the United States involving older drivers – 65 and older – increased by 42% in a decade, from about 6,000 in 2013 to around 8,000 in 2022, the federal agency said, noting that it was the highest number of deaths for this age group since federal data records began in 1975.

One of the most important actions older drivers and their families can take is to talk about age-related changes and be proactive about developing a transportation plan well in advance, as it can help keep older adults safe and remain independent and mobile for as long as possible, NHTSA said, but stressed that decisions about a person’s ability to drive should be based on driving fitness and not age.

The federal agency offered a series of tips and resources, like How to Understand and Influence Older Driversto help older drivers, caregivers and their families understand how aging can affect driving and what can be done to continue driving safely, like adapting a vehicle to meet specific needs as people age.

Others include:

Get a head start: Older drivers and their family members are encouraged to learn and talk about age-related changes that may affect their ability to drive safely and what they can do about it as early as possible –long before difficulties are noticed. Driving Safely While Aging Gracefully is a good place to start, the federal agency noted.

Get regular check-ups and review medications: Talk to a doctor about how age-related changes and medications may affect driving abilities. Ensure glasses and contact lenses are up to date if needed.

Get organized: Plan safer trips by traveling during times of the day when traffic is lighter and weather conditions are favorable, and choosing routes that avoid unprotected left turns when possible.

Get a driver assessment: Driver rehabilitation specialists can provide professional driving evaluations.

Get creative about non-driving options: Make an alternative transportation plan well in advance, like considering getting rides with friends or family who live nearby, on public transportation, or through volunteer and religious organizations that offer transportation services.

State motor vehicle and local law enforcement agencies have different perspectives on the risks of older drivers, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), a nonprofit organization representing state highway safety offices, said, but states are enacting legislation that places certain restrictions on drivers. And organizations, including the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and AARP, have developed special programs to keep senior drivers as safe as possible.

For more information on older driver safety, click here and here.