WHEN SHOULD OLD PEOPLE HANG UP THEIR DRIVING KEYS FOR GOOD

Some drivers will be just as good on the road at age 80 as they were aged 50, whilst others may need to retire from driving at 60. There are many factors that contribute to our ability to drive well or badly for that matter and as driving is no easy task, everybody needs to take responsibility for themselves and make an informed choice to stop driving.

Factors in old age that could contribute to poor driving skills include:

Motor skills: muscles weaken and reflexes slow, making movement a lot harder.
Hearing: with impaired hearing, being alert to sirens or other road users becomes affected.
Vision deterioration: any vision loss will affect your driving ability.
Reaction time: reacting to situations on the road, such as pedestrians walking out or a car suddenly braking will become decreased.
Medication: many older people take various medications which can result in drowsiness, confusion or slower reaction times.

All of the factors above can contribute to the way a person drives, no matter what your age. However, an older person is more susceptible to the above.

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