If you have an elderly loved one who is still capable of driving, you may still get nervous about the thought of them behind the wheel. But until they have a doctor or government employee tell them that they shouldn’t be driving anymore, or they move into an assisted living facility where being able to drive just isn’t possible anymore, you may want to focus your energy on ensuring that you’re able to stay safe on the road rather than trying to get them to just let you drive them around everywhere.
To help you in doing this, here are three ways to make driving safer for your elderly loved one.
Get A Handicap Placard
One of the reasons that you might not like your elderly loved one driving around too much is because it might be hard for them to get around when they’re out and about after reaching their destination. Making their way from the parking lot into the building they’re headed to might prove to be challenging for them in their advanced age. But luckily, there are safety measures you can take that address this.
If your loved one has real medical issues that make walking too far a hazard for them, you can encourage them to look into getting a handicap placard for their car. This will allow them to park much closer to the door at the places they’re visiting.
To get this, your loved one will need to research what their state requires for this designation and meet with their doctor to get the process started.
Drive A Vehicle With The Best Safety Features
The vehicle that your loved one drives can also have an impact on how safe they’re able to stay behind the wheel.
Modern vehicles have so many great safety features that can make it safer for anyone to be driving, including your elderly loved one. So if they’re still driving an older car that doesn’t have modern features like automatic braking, driver monitoring systems, lane assist, and more, you might want to encourage them to get a new car that has these features available to them.
Don’t Drive At Night Or In Bad Weather
Driving in any kind of bad conditions is going to be more hazardous for everyone on the road. So if you’re worried about these things, you may want to speak with your elderly loved one about not driving in certain conditions in order to keep themselves and others safe.
Ideally, you should try to get your elderly loved one not to drive at night or during any kind of bad weather. If they need to go somewhere, offer up your own services or consider calling them before bad weather arrives to see if they need anything beforehand.
If you want to help your elderly loved one stay safe when they’re driving, consider using the tips mentioned above to help them make some adjustments to their driving practices.