Driving Transitions

Driving classes and assessments

Driving classes

Aging does not necessarily mean you must give up driving anytime soon. With proper planning, your driving skills may stay intact for a very long time. Along with purchasing cars with updated safety equipment, it is also good to brush up your skills by taking a defensive driving course.

There are numerous options available.

• AARP offers an online course that is inexpensive and may save you money on your car insurance.
• AARP also offers courses in person. You can locate a class here.
• The National Safety Council offers an online course for defensive driving.
• You can contact your local DMV for classes in your area.

Driving assessments

Even after proper training, family often becomes concerned about the driving ability of their aging members. It is a difficult conversation to broach as the elder driver may become defensive because stopping driving may mean a loss of independence.

Often, the elder driver can continue to drive safely as long as they make a few changes. Driving during the day, not driving in the rain, and adding safety devices to a vehicle can help tremendously in keeping the driver and other people on the road safe.

Driving assessments are a good tool to help determine what elder drivers need to drive safely. Generally, the assessment is done by an occupational therapist and involves tests that measure cognition and physical ability. Driving evaluations are done in vehicles or in simulators. The therapist will then offer suggestions to improve driver safety or may make the recommendation that the driver give up driving. The therapist does not have the ability to pull a license. The testing takes a couple of hours and costs about $200 to $300.

If your family is concerned about your driving, consider taking a test to prove that you are okay and learn ways to stay safe while driving. The American Occupational Therapy Association provides a database of programs to easily find a testing facility in your area.