When Should an Older Person Stop Operating a Vehicle?

Senior citizen driving

NEW YORK – According to Wctv.tv, research published in the New England Journal of Medicine contributes to the ongoing somewhat controversial discussion of when an elderly driver should cease to operate a motor vehicle. There are currently over 45 million drivers in the United States who are over 65-years-old.

One driver, Joan Mastrianni, who is 89 has been on the roads since the Eisenhower administration and is still driving today, despite the concerns expressed by her children.

Mastrianni’s daughter Kathleen Powers is concerned that Mastrianni should not still be driving, but Mastrianni says that it is important to her to be still able to get to local destinations including her church, library and the grocery store.

Some elderly drivers enroll in educational courses to help refresh their driving skills. Removing a person’s driver’s license is a major thing for that person’s life and independence. According to Dr. Louise Aronson, a geriatrician, making an older person give up their driver’s license can have a negative impact on that person’s health. Taking away an elderly individual’s independence makes them socially isolated and unable to work. These things have been proven to have detrimental impacts on a person’s well-being.

Older drivers should be thinking about whether they have medical conditions, including dementia, as there are many conditions that make it dangerous for a person to be on the road.

Fortunately, older adults do have some alternative options. With ride-sharing services operating in most areas, it is possible for many people to catch a ride if they need one once they and their family have decided that it is no longer safe for them to be driving.