Worried About a Family Member’s Driving?

By CarePatrol of Chicago Northshore

A client recently asked, “When is it time for my husband to give up driving?” Giving up the keys is a decision that many older drivers struggle with. Driving represents freedom, and no one finds it easy to give up their independence. The wife and I decided to develop a “driving test” for her husband. He agreed that if he could not pass the test he would learn to ride a bike or call a taxi.

Questions included:

• Is there any damage to your car that you don’t know how it got there?
• Did you get more than 2 tickets in the past year?
• Do your friends and family make negative comments about your driving?
• Are you anxious when you drive at night?
• Do you get distracted when driving?
• Have you been lost recently?
• Do other drivers honk at you?
• Do you complain about how others drive around you?

We took the test at a coffee shop so I could observe him driving. The approach was out of love and concern and we did our best not to be confrontational. We tried to focus on her husbands skills –  not age or health condition. Unfortunately, (or fortunately for the neighbor’s garbage cans that kept getting run over) after reviewing the responses it was time to face the music and give the car to the grandkids. We downloaded the Uber app and the family is now at ease knowing that Dad and the other cars on the road are much better off.