AOTA's Older Driver Safety Awareness Week—Thursday: Taking Changes in Stride
By Stephanie Yamkovenko
Having conversations about older driver safety is essential when an aging population is undergoing physical and cognitive changes that affect driving. AOTA’s Older Driver Safety Awareness Week seeks to raise awareness of the solutions, rather than a narrow focus on the problem.
Whether an older driver discovers the need to make adjustments for safe driving or can no longer drive safely, it is important for families and friends to assist him or her in taking changes in stride. Because age alone is not a good predictor of driving safety or ability, older drivers need to understand that the body’s normal changes due to aging occur individually and at different rates.
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AOTA’s Older Driver Safety Awareness Week runs from December 5 to 9.
- Find articles on each day’s topic—Monday: Family Conversations; Tuesday: Screening and Evaluation; Wednesday: Driving Equipment and Adaptations; Thursday: Taking Changes in Stride; Friday: Life After Driving
- Click here for all AOTA Resources on Older Driver Safety Awareness Week.
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“By becoming aware of resources before they are needed, a senior driver may be able to prolong driving and independent community mobility in a proactive manner,” says Michele Luther-Krug, COTA/L, SCADCM, CDRS. “Discussing changes in sensation, strength, and coordination, and teaching drivers about assistive technology such as hand controls or the use of exercises to prolong function, are examples of proactive approaches.”
Occupational therapy practitioners can assist older drivers in preparing for changes by assessing their eyesight for distance acuity and peripheral vision, assessing function in their upper and lower extremities as it pertains to driving, helping them locate a driving specialist, and helping them identify community mobility resources, according to Luther-Krug.
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The family plays a key role in helping older drivers adjust to changes in their mobility. “It is important to identify a family member who will act as a driving advocate,” says Luther-Krug. “This role is taken on by a family member who the driver is willing to trust and whose advice the driver will follow. The advocate will commit to ride with the driver on a regular basis, and if the advocate sees a concern, the driver commits to refraining from driving until a re-evaluation is completed with a certified driving rehabilitation specialist.”
Both the older driver and family members should be knowledgeable and make wise choices when it comes to knowing when a driver is at increased risk. They can begin by knowing what to look for and exploring the resources below.
Resources:
- Learn about normal aging changes: AAA’s Older and Wiser Driver brochure.
- Step-by-step assessment on physical changes: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Web page, Driving Safely While Aging Gracefully.
- Extend your safe driving years: DriveSharp, created by researchers at Posit Science and provided by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
