Extend Your Years Behind the Wheel

By Kimberly Flick, MariElders Transportation Coordinator

Perhaps this worrisome thought has crossed your mind: “What’s going to happen if I can no longer drive?” It’s a complicated situation. But there are ways you can extend your years behind the wheel.

Aging naturally causes changes in vision, hearing, motor function and cognition. To continue being a safe driver, have your hearing and vision checked annually. Your hearing serves as an early warning alert to conditions around you, even before you see what’s happening. If you are developing hearing loss, don’t be shy about or too proud for hearing aids. The technology is amazing and can enhance your life in so many ways.

When driving, it’s essential to hear emergency vehicles, railroad crossings and mechanical problems with your car immediately. In-car auditory signals such as crash avoidance and lane departure warnings give you more time to avoid a collision. These safety advances in newer vehicles have significantly reduced death and injury for drivers, their passengers and other motorists sharing the road.

Our visual field decreases approximately one to three degrees per decade. By our 70s and 80s our peripheral vision can be 30 degrees less than when we were young drivers. Vision checkups can keep you in eyewear that corrects most deficiencies. Cataract and macular degeneration affect distance visual acuity - the response time needed to stop the car. Accommodation is the ability to change focus quickly between near and distant objects, such as the dashboard to highway signs. Multifocal and bifocal prescription lenses can help with that.

We gradually lose quick response motor control and nerve cell messaging over time, due to natural changes in our brain and nervous system. Reflex and reaction time varies greatly from person to person. Also, the loss of receptors and neurons can make focus and concentration more difficult. But it’s a sure bet that you can slow down the effects of aging by staying physically active, as well as mentally and socially engaged.

Statistically, older drivers tend to take fewer risks on the road. So don’t eat and drink while you’re cruising. Keep both hands on the wheel and skip talking on the phone, even hands-free. Plan your route before you leave – and the times you drive, as well. Avoid the rush-hour mayhem. Weekends are overly busy, too. Schedule errands and appointments for mid-day weekdays if you can. After dark may not be the best time to navigate unfamiliar areas. The same is true for inclement weather.

Your doctor is one of your best consultants for driving competency. Are you taking medications that have a caution about operating a vehicle? According to the National Institutes of Health: “A patient should be advised when it is not safe to drive. If he disregards this advice and drives, he would be breaking the law and

MariElders (from previous page)

Perhaps the best way to extend your years behind the wheel is by taking a refresher course. You can get an idea of how much you do or don’t remember about motor vehicle laws. The Ohio BMV website offers a Drivers License Knowledge Test online. The printed version is available at most BMV locations. Or you can take an AARP online course https:// www.aarpdriversafety.org/.

Learn at your own pace at a time that’s convenient for you. Your insurance company may reduce your rates when you provide the certificate of completion. Moreover, you’ll receive renewed confidence and improved awareness of safe driving techniques and motor vehicle laws.

Or Leave the Driving to Us! When you need a lift, remember to call The MariElders. We provide door-to-door transportation to area stores and businesses, dentists and medical check-ups. Simply call in advance to reserve a ride, 513-271-5588. For a suggested donation of $2 per round trip, that’s hard to pass up!