To Drive Or Not To Drive
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Automobiles - who can live without them? We in Delaware depend on our cars to get us practically everywhere. We try to be green and use other methods of transportation, but when it gets down to our favorite choice - it's the personal car. We start driving when we are 16 and never want to stop. We want to go where we want, when we want. We don't want to wait for the bus, the neighbor or the taxi (if that is an option).
How many of you have ridden with an older relative and thought, "Should Aunt Sally be driving?" Have you noticed a few dings in Dad's car? Having a conversation with an older relative about their ability to drive is even more difficult than teaching your teenager the safe way to drive.
Taking a person's car keys away from them can be one of the hardest tasks to face. A person who can no longer drive risks isolation, loneliness and possible depression. Setting up ways for a person to remain active in the community should be part of the discussion. Helping them connect with friends who drive can be one avenue. Many senior centers have busses that can transport people to the center and possibly shopping trips.
Recently the University of Delaware's Institute of Public Administration completed a study of the older driver in Delaware. It is called Safe and Mobile Delaware. As part of this report WHYY-TV aired a half-hour documentary on older driver safety in Delaware. This documentary and other resources can be found on the website developed as a result of this initiative. This website provides numerous resources that can help you evaluate your driving or those of a loved one.
There is support out there for those of us who want to help our friends and relatives continue to drive safely. Many of these resources are available through the American Automobile Association and AARP to name just two.
AARP sponsors safe driving classes open to anyone over 50. There is a small fee for the class. If you live near your older driver you could take the classes together. The classes are offered at local senior centers and other locations. AARP also has brochures that give you suggestions on how to start the conversation concerning driving.
Remember having a conversation with an elderly relative is no different than helping that teenager realize the tremendous responsibility they are undertaking when they get behind the wheel of a car. Meanwhile, let's work to improve public transportation, so when we get to that point of hanging up the car keys, it won't be so devastating.
For More Information:
- SAMD: http://www.safeandmobiledelaware.org/
- Roadway Safety Foundation: http://www.roadwaysafety.org/
- University of Delaware's Institute for Public Administration: http://www.ipa.udel.edu/
- WHYY Segment 1/13/10: http://video.whyy.org/video/1386558616/
- YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEIx-aCUsbY&feature=player_embedded
