Adjusting to Aging: Senior Driving Safety

Adaptations are Available to Make Driving Easier for Seniors

From in-vehicle technologies to vehicle adaptations, the list of options older drivers have to make their vehicles safer and to enable them to stay behind the wheel longer is extensive. Unfortunately, in a recent AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study, nearly 90 percent of senior drivers reported not making any adaptations to their vehicles.

AAA urges drivers older than 65—who are 17 times more likely to be injured or killed in a crash than a younger driver—to make safety adaptations to their vehicles. These aids can help senior drivers get into and out of a vehicle with less effort, improve visibility on the road and increase dexterity.

“Crash prevention is critical for this population, and this research suggests that most are not taking advantage of simple and inexpensive devices,” said Dr. David Yang, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety executive director. The report is the first phase in the foundation’s groundbreaking Longitudinal Research on Aging Drivers, or LongROAD, project gathering data on drivers 65 and older.

What Makes Driving Difficult As We Age?

Conditions impacting a driver’s muscles or bones are of particular concern. In the LongROAD study, more than 70 percent of senior drivers had experienced health conditions impacting muscles and bones, such as arthritis, hip/knee replacement and joint-pain conditions. The installation of products such as steering-wheel covers can help lessen the impact of arthritis. Larger mirrors and assistive devices on seats, meanwhile, can help reduce the impact of limited neck mobility.

Vehicle adaptations not only help seniors drive safer and longer, they also benefit mental health. Previous AAA Foundation research shows older people who stop driving are almost twice as likely to suffer from depression and nearly five times more likely to enter a long-term-care facility than those who remain behind the wheel.

Take Action: Get Fit for Your Car

In collaboration with the American Society on Aging, AARP and the American Occupational Therapy Association, AAA developed CarFit, which trains professionals to conduct a comprehensive 12-point check of a senior’s vehicle and make recommendations for needed adjustments.

This year’s AAA CarFit event takes place April 29 in the AAA Minneapolis St. Louis Park headquarters parking lot. CarFit volunteers will include St. Catherine University occupational therapy students. The event is free, but appointments are required; call (952) 927-2602 to sign up. If that date is not convenient, you can find other events at the CarFit website, car-fit.org, throughout the warm season.

AAA also offers Smart Features for Older Drivers, which can help mature drivers identify inexpensive devices and vehicle features to optimize comfort and safety. This tool and other helpful resources for seniors and their families can be found at SeniorDriving.AAA.com.