Advice for an elderly driver.
Discussion
I kind of know the answer to this already but here goes.
My dad is 82.
He has never owned an automatic.
He told me tonight he was thinking of changing his 3 year old Polo [with tiny miles on it]
as his left knee is weak and cannot operate clutch easily anymore.
He said he would go to a driving school for tuition on an auto if necessary.
I am thinking that its time for him to stop altogether as my step mum does most
of the driving now apparently and she is much more mobile than my dad.
Your thoughts please.
My dad is 82.
He has never owned an automatic.
He told me tonight he was thinking of changing his 3 year old Polo [with tiny miles on it]
as his left knee is weak and cannot operate clutch easily anymore.
He said he would go to a driving school for tuition on an auto if necessary.
I am thinking that its time for him to stop altogether as my step mum does most
of the driving now apparently and she is much more mobile than my dad.
Your thoughts please.
If his left knee is the only reason to change to an automatic, and if his doctor is happy to continue signing him off as fit to drive, then there is no reason why he should hand his licence in just yet. My grandad drove a car when he was 90 years old, and decided to give up of his own accord.
On the other hand if he is clearly a danger to himself and other road users then have a talk with him about taking a back seat, so to speak.
On the other hand if he is clearly a danger to himself and other road users then have a talk with him about taking a back seat, so to speak.
Toby Le Rone said:
The Crack Fox said:
Polite suggestion : tell him to take his test again, if he passes, help him find a nice little auto, if he fails he'll hopefully realise it's time for taxis.
Good luck
+1 for this Good luck
Toby Le Rone said:
The Crack Fox said:
Polite suggestion : tell him to take his test again, if he passes, help him find a nice little auto, if he fails he'll hopefully realise it's time for taxis.
Good luck
+1 for this Good luck
The problem is, it's taking away the feeling of liberty and telling someone in no uncertain terms, "You're getting old" and not only that, but you're incapable of doing something you've taken for granted for your whole adult life.
I dread the day I have to stop driving, seeing grandpa finally realise he was past it was not a nice thing to be a party to, it's one step closer to (as he put it) sitting at home like a vegetable, waiting to die.
So be gentle with him, it's a difficult thing to come to terms with.
We finally made him see sense when he hit a police car from behind at a set of traffic lights due to not being able to find the brake pedal in time. He gave his car to my sister, who ironically wrote it off 2 weeks later by driving into another stationary police car, this time with it's blue lights flashing.
sicarumba said:
If his left knee is the only reason to change to an automatic, and if his doctor is happy to continue signing him off as fit to drive, then there is no reason why he should hand his licence in just yet.
A doctor won't actually assess a person's ability to drive or to react, so a doctor signing him off is meaningless.mph1977 said:
little logistics point and how is he going to do that in the Auto he doesn't yet own ?
He can get advice on autos or perhaps he could rent one for a day to see how it goesDoctors and driving
It is about time we stopped the self assessment medical thing and had a GP determine whether a driver should be reported to DVLA so that DVLA can then send the driver for a full medical to determine fitness to drive
iva cosworth said:
I kind of know the answer to this already but here goes.
My dad is 82.
He has never owned an automatic.
He told me tonight he was thinking of changing his 3 year old Polo [with tiny miles on it]
as his left knee is weak and cannot operate clutch easily anymore.
He said he would go to a driving school for tuition on an auto if necessary.
I am thinking that its time for him to stop altogether as my step mum does most
of the driving now apparently and she is much more mobile than my dad.
Your thoughts please.
Is there anyway you can treat him to a PDK Boxster as a gift?My dad is 82.
He has never owned an automatic.
He told me tonight he was thinking of changing his 3 year old Polo [with tiny miles on it]
as his left knee is weak and cannot operate clutch easily anymore.
He said he would go to a driving school for tuition on an auto if necessary.
I am thinking that its time for him to stop altogether as my step mum does most
of the driving now apparently and she is much more mobile than my dad.
Your thoughts please.
Was chatting to my Gran about this a couple of days ago. She's a similar age, never driven an auto and has a manual Honda Jazz. She is still totally with it and has no plans (or need) to stop driving and has no plan to get an auto as it's not impossible that in an emergency you'd forget what to do and get confused. Apparently 2 oldies have parked their cars in shop windows in the relatively recent past near her due to confusion having recently switched from manual to automatic cars.
Unless he is a danger to himself/others whilst out on the roads, then there's no reason for him to give up driving just because he has an iffy knee and may find an automatic better.
As has been said, for someone of that age who has been driving for a great number of years, to give up is a big thing, it will feel like a great impedance on his personal freedom, whether he currently drives a lot or not.
If however his driving is poor, then at that point its perhaps time to make the suggestion.
Why not hire an automatic learner car from the likes of Arnold Clark and take him out a few times to see how he gets on?
As has been said, for someone of that age who has been driving for a great number of years, to give up is a big thing, it will feel like a great impedance on his personal freedom, whether he currently drives a lot or not.
If however his driving is poor, then at that point its perhaps time to make the suggestion.
Why not hire an automatic learner car from the likes of Arnold Clark and take him out a few times to see how he gets on?
R0G said:
Doctors and driving
It is about time we stopped the self assessment medical thing and had a GP determine whether a driver should be reported to DVLA so that DVLA can then send the driver for a full medical to determine fitness to drive
Also include attitude and mental stability, to be included in a full medical every five years after passing your driving test. For ALL ages. It is about time we stopped the self assessment medical thing and had a GP determine whether a driver should be reported to DVLA so that DVLA can then send the driver for a full medical to determine fitness to drive
sicarumba said:
If his left knee is the only reason to change to an automatic, and if his doctor is happy to continue signing him off as fit to drive, then there is no reason why he should hand his licence in just yet. My grandad drove a car when he was 90 years old, and decided to give up of his own accord.
On the other hand if he is clearly a danger to himself and other road users then have a talk with him about taking a back seat, so to speak.
This. OP you make no reference to how good or otherwise his driving is, seems grossly unfair to try and force him out of driving just because he isn't as mobile as his OH? On the other hand if he is clearly a danger to himself and other road users then have a talk with him about taking a back seat, so to speak.
SLCZ3 said:
Also include attitude and mental stability, to be included in a full medical every five years after passing your driving test. For ALL ages.
Hmm I can see that working, 37m people to be tested every 5 years, somehing like 25-30,000 people per day in addition to those taking normal tests & retests.Edited by 66comanche on Monday 28th November 12:39
This is a really arkward/hard one isn't it? I certainly think some kind of compulsary assesment is the way to go, perhaps not just for old people but people with other health associated risk factors. There was an awful story a few years ago in Accrington where an old fella mounted the kerb and wiped out 3 generations of the same familly after he suffered a health issue (heart attack i think) at the wheel. It's an awfully hard thing to suggest to old people that they can't drive but the consequences can be catastrpohic.
66comanche said:
SLCZ3 said:
Also include attitude and mental stability, to be included in a full medical every five years after passing your driving test. For ALL ages.
Hmm I can see that working, 37m people to be tested every 5 years, somehing like 25-30,000 people per day in addition to those taking normal tests & retests.Edited by 66comanche on Monday 28th November 12:39
mattnunn said:
This is a really arkward/hard one isn't it? I certainly think some kind of compulsary assesment is the way to go, perhaps not just for old people but people with other health associated risk factors. There was an awful story a few years ago in Accrington where an old fella mounted the kerb and wiped out 3 generations of the same familly after he suffered a health issue (heart attack i think) at the wheel. It's an awfully hard thing to suggest to old people that they can't drive but the consequences can be catastrpohic.
Well as anybody who suffers a fit, has to have a fit free twelve months before being able to drive again, then why not include anyone who has a heart attack or angina, or chemotherapy, or even a major operation for, shall we say gall stones, ulcers, prostrate cancer, erectile dysfunction etc, where do you draw the line???, remember more people under the age of 25 have accidents than people over 65, as a percentage. Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff