Driver Education

During the holiday season and throughout the year, we all want those in our community to be safe. Help us get the word out for Older Driver Safety Awareness Week (ODSAW).

Every year, the Clearinghouse for Older Road User Safety (ChORUS), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), observe ODSAW. This year, ODSAW runs from December 4-8, 2023, and ChORUS has developed a campaign dedicated to promoting road safety among older drivers.

If the older adult in your life has been diagnosed with dementia, they may not have to stop driving right away. However, there are signs that family members and caregivers should watch for to ensure that the older driver is safe on the road.

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) laid out a list of signs that someone with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia should stop driving include:

Baby You Can Drive My Car – a song about getting a driver as a hopeful rising star dreams of a different life. It can also be a way of planning ahead for a time when you may need a little extra help.

Whether walking, bicycling, getting a ride, or taking the bus, we all deserve transportation options that suit our lifestyles. While more than 600,000 older adults stop driving each year, many others modify their driving behaviors.¹ These life changes lead to finding alternate transportation options for getting to doctor’s appointments, to visit with family and friends, and to the grocery store.

We know senior center staff work hard every day to provide programming options and support for the older adults in their community. This Senior Center Month, the Clearinghouse for Older Road User Safety (ChORUS) wants to celebrate and support the good work that senior centers do. At ChORUS, we have many free resources to help senior centers provide support and programming around older adult traffic safety, whether the person is a driver, a passenger, a pedestrian, or a cyclist. We have materials for use and reference all throughout the year.

Those Were the Days from 1968 – is likely a one hit wonder but it got me thinking. I remember being “young and sure” and thinking nothing could hurt me. Many of us likely felt this sense of invincibility in our youth and I know that feeling has lingered even as I’ve grown “older and wiser.”  It is that lingering feeling of “I know what I know” and “it won’t happen to me” that can sometimes lead to an outcome that could’ve been avoided in life and on the road.

August is National Wellness Month. As individuals age, maintaining wellness becomes increasingly important, which can also affect the ability to drive. We know why older road user safety is important, driving or taking public transportation are ways older adults can stay connected with their communities and maintain independence as they age. Taking proactive steps to improve health and well-being will help keep older adults in the driver’s seat of their transportation future.

“Your dad has been feeling dizzy, we’re going to the hospital to get checked out.” Ellen remembers how the simple call from her mom last year snowballed into her 71-year-old father going from the “quick” emergency room visit at the community hospital to an ambulance ride to the bigger hospital downtown. He had complained that he didn’t really need to go. Ellen was glad he did. He’d had a stroke. He would also need surgery on his carotid artery. The artery was almost completely blocked by what the doctors called plaque buildup, meaning not enough blood was getting through to his brain.