Tips To Help Seniors Drive Safely in Atlanta GA

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You can take an active role in helping a senior to drive more safely. Following are some tips for a senior to stay on the road. Help the senior to implement these safe driving adjustments.
Tips on your car:

• Drive a car that meets your needs.  Choose a vehicle with automatic transmission, power steering, and power brakes. See an occupational therapist for special driving aids that compensate for physical problems. For tips on making sure your car fits you and on how to adjust car mirrors for maximum visibility.
• Keep your car in peak operating condition. Visit your mechanic for scheduled maintenance, and keep your car windows and headlights clean.

Tips on the road:

• Drive during daylight hours if you have trouble seeing well in reduced light.
• Consider staying off the freeway or highway if fast-moving traffic bothers you.
• Avoid driving in bad weather (rain, thunderstorms, snow, hail, ice).
• Plan your route before you leave the house so that you feel more confident and don’t get lost.
• Focus on the road. Carry a cell phone for emergencies, but don’t use it while driving. Some cars have controls for the radio on the steering wheel that require no reaching and no looking. Eating and conversation may be distracting while driving.
• Don’t follow too closely. Use the three-second rule: choose a stationary object on the road ahead of you, start counting when the car in front of you passes that object, then allow three seconds until you pass that object. You can figure three seconds by saying to yourself, “a thousand one, a thousand two, a thousand three.” If you pass that object sooner than in three seconds, maintain a longer following distance.
• Yield the right of way at an intersection if you are in doubt. The majority of senior-citizen accidents happen because the senior has not yielded the proper right of way.
• Be careful of left-turns. Seniors have a large number of accidents at intersections when they are making left turns. If you wish, you can even avoid left turns by turning right instead, and making successive right turns to go around the block or blocks to get to your destination.
• Be considerate of others if you drive slowly. On the highway, if other drivers are passing you in the lanes on both sides of you, be sure to move over to travel in the slow lane. On two-lane roads, be aware of cars lining up behind you. Pull over to a safe spot on the right side of the road to let other cars get around you.

Tips for overall safety:

• Enroll in a driver safety course for people over 50. A refresher course will remind you of safe driving practices and teach you about new traffic control and roadway design features.
• See your health care provider regularly. Have your vision, hearing, and general health checked regularly. Be sure to discuss any medications you are taking (even over-the-counter ones), and ask about their possible effects on your driving.
• Maintain physical and mental fitness! With your doctor’s approval, some stretching exercises, a walking program, or a yoga class may help you stay fit. Fitness affects your driving abilities: you need to be flexible, have quick response time, and be able to move your hands and feet quickly to control the car.

Transportation alternatives available for seniors

If an elderly person is going to stop driving, alternative modes of transportation will facilitate errands, going to doctors’ appointments, and continuing to attend social and cultural events. If transportation is not available, a senior will be much less willing to give up driving. Getting out of the house is essential not just for practical reasons, but also for participation in life!
An increasing number of innovative ways for seniors to get around without a car are available. These include:

• ride-sharing with friends and relatives
• public transit: buses, subways, and light rail
• community shuttles
• taxis, limousines, and chauffeur services
• private drivers
• specialized transit for seniors
• bicycles or tricycles (you can find large tricycles made for adults)
• walking
• motorized wheelchairs for nonambulatory seniors

You may think that paid transportation is not affordable, but money saved on car insurance, maintenance, registration, and gasoline can be used for rides. To encourage a senior to use alternative transportation, you might ride along the first few. If you offer rides to the senior, set up a regular time when the person can count on you to be there, without their asking. See if other friends or relatives can do the same. Many seniors find it difficult to ask for a ride, so if you schedule it regularly, the awkwardness is diminished.