{"id":807,"date":"2015-12-17T10:17:03","date_gmt":"2015-12-17T15:17:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/assistinghands.com\/centralnj\/?p=807"},"modified":"2021-10-11T06:44:57","modified_gmt":"2021-10-11T10:44:57","slug":"five-myths-about-senior-drivers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/newjersey\/centralnj\/blog\/five-myths-about-senior-drivers\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Myths About Senior Drivers"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"l-section wpb_row height_medium\"><div class=\"l-section-h i-cf\"><div class=\"g-cols offset_small\"><div class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column vc_column_container\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_text_column \"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" aligncenter wp-image-808 size-full\" src=\"\/6\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2016\/12\/Driving.jpg\" alt=\"Driving\" width=\"525\" height=\"350\" \/><\/p>\n<p>A recent article in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2015-08-11\/how-old-people-became-the-future-of-the-u-s-auto-industry\">Bloomberg<\/a> exploded the myth that Americans stick to their trusty old clunkers upon retirement; apparently, plenty of the 36 million senior drivers today are leaving the showroom with a snazzy new set of wheels!<\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s seniors have their roots firmly in the age of driving. Driving equals independence in the minds of most. But physical or intellectual impairment and even the normal changes of aging can make driving less safe, or unsafe, for older adults. It seems that every week, we see a news story about a senior who has caused a bad accident. When it comes to older drivers, what\u2019s true and what\u2019s not? Here are some of the myths and truths about these senior motorists:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Myth #1: All seniors are bad drivers.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Fact: A while back, a British automobile association suggested that seniors equip their cars with \u201cGranny on Board\u201d stickers, to warn other drivers. This suggestion was met with much protest by older drivers, and with good reason: Despite the clich\u00e9s, many older adults are good drivers, with years of driving experience behind them. Yet visual impairment, hearing loss, lessened manual dexterity and memory loss make it harder to be safe on the road. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that the risk of being killed or injured in a motor vehicle crash increases as we age. The key is to regularly assess one\u2019s driving abilities to honestly judge whether it\u2019s still safe to be behind the wheel. An occupational therapist or other expert can help evaluate a senior\u2019s driving abilities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Myth #2: Seniors won\u2019t change their driving habits until they have a bad accident.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Fact: It is true that an accident\u2014or ticket\u2014can be a wake-up call for an older driver. But experts say that many seniors are aware of their limitations, and they self-restrict their driving accordingly. As night vision lessens, they give up night driving while continuing to drive during the day. They stick to familiar routes, and avoid busy highways and the more congested hours of the day. They might drive to a nearby Park-and-Ride lot and take the bus for the longest leg of a trip. When seniors continue to drive in unsafe conditions, that\u2019s a problem. But a study from University of Colorado School of Medicine found that most older adults agree that they would stop driving if their doctor or family members believe it is unsafe\u2014and would even favor an \u201cadvance directive for driving\u201d where a loved one could make the decision for them.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Myth #3: If a senior senses their driving abilities have lessened, they should stop driving right away.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Fact: In some cases, giving up the car is the best choice. But there are steps seniors can take to extend their capability as safe drivers. Senior driving classes are available through the AARP, the AAA, senior centers and other organizations. Adding safety features like better mirrors and new windshield wipers can make the car safer to operate. And it could be that the car just isn\u2019t a good fit anymore. If it\u2019s large and difficult to maneuver, check out smaller cars that are easier to drive and park. Today\u2019s cars have some safety features that seem like they could have been designed for older adults, such as backup cameras and warning sensors. And then there\u2019s that other \u201cmachine\u201d\u2014our bodies. For example, the Hartford Center for Mature Market Excellence offers an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thehartford.com\/mature-market-excellence\/exercise-videos\">online exercise program<\/a> to improve the flexibility and range of motion needed for safe driving.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Myth #4: You shouldn\u2019t hurt your older loved one\u2019s feelings by mentioning your concerns.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Fact: The conversation about driving is one of the toughest ones we can have with our older loved ones. But it\u2019s an important conversation to have. Sharing your concerns might help your loved one avoid a serious injury to themselves and others. If your loved one becomes defensive, try to express your concerns as problem-solving: \u201cWe worry that you might not be safe behind the wheel, but we recognize the value of your independence and want to brainstorm with you ways you can continue to be independent.\u201d Suggest that your loved one talk to the doctor about a driving evaluation, and ask if you can participate in the conversation. (Under normal circumstances, you cannot do so without a signed release from your loved one.) Worst case, if your loved one absolutely refuses to discuss the issue and you feel they are a danger to themselves and others, you can contact the local DMV to find out what to do.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Myth #5: If a senior has to give up the car keys, they will be stuck at home.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Fact: It takes a little research, but most older adults are able to access acceptable alternative transportation in the community. Learn about public transportation options. There might be a perfect bus line or subway stop near your loved one\u2019s home. Many communities offer senior orientation classes for older adults to help them navigate the transit system routes and vehicles. Once seniors get the hang of it, they often enjoy being transportation-savvy! Special transit is available for seniors with disabilities. And once your loved one has figured out how much money giving up the car will save, taking a taxi or Uber might seem very affordable.\u00a0 If your family has hired home care services to support your loved one\u2019s well-being, remember that professional home care doesn\u2019t only happen at home. Your caregiver can drive your loved one to the places they want to go.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More Information<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhtsa.gov\/road-safety\/older-drivers\">information and resources<\/a> for older drivers and their families.<\/p>\n<p><em>Source: Assisting Hands Home Care in association with IlluminAge. Copyright \u00a9 IlluminAge, 2015.<\/em><\/div> <\/div> <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A recent article in Bloomberg exploded the myth that Americans stick to their trusty old clunkers upon retirement; apparently, plenty of the 36 million senior drivers today are leaving the showroom with a snazzy new set of wheels! Today\u2019s seniors have their roots firmly in the age of driving. Driving equals independence in the minds of most. But physical or...","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Five Myths About Senior Drivers - Central New Jersey<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/newjersey\/centralnj\/blog\/five-myths-about-senior-drivers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Five Myths About Senior Drivers - Central New Jersey\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/newjersey\/centralnj\/blog\/five-myths-about-senior-drivers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Central New Jersey\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-12-17T15:17:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-10-11T10:44:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/01\/Assistinghandimage.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"341\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/assistinghands.com\\\/6\\\/newjersey\\\/centralnj\\\/blog\\\/five-myths-about-senior-drivers\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/assistinghands.com\\\/6\\\/newjersey\\\/centralnj\\\/blog\\\/five-myths-about-senior-drivers\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/assistinghands.com\\\/6\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b64e2d3f2eca690fa5fc21e74c32eb1f\"},\"headline\":\"Five Myths About Senior Drivers\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-12-17T15:17:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-10-11T10:44:57+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/assistinghands.com\\\/6\\\/newjersey\\\/centralnj\\\/blog\\\/five-myths-about-senior-drivers\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":983,\"articleSection\":[\"Blog\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/assistinghands.com\\\/6\\\/newjersey\\\/centralnj\\\/blog\\\/five-myths-about-senior-drivers\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/assistinghands.com\\\/6\\\/newjersey\\\/centralnj\\\/blog\\\/five-myths-about-senior-drivers\\\/\",\"name\":\"Five Myths About Senior Drivers - Central New Jersey\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/assistinghands.com\\\/6\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-12-17T15:17:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-10-11T10:44:57+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/assistinghands.com\\\/6\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b64e2d3f2eca690fa5fc21e74c32eb1f\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/assistinghands.com\\\/6\\\/newjersey\\\/centralnj\\\/blog\\\/five-myths-about-senior-drivers\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/assistinghands.com\\\/6\\\/newjersey\\\/centralnj\\\/blog\\\/five-myths-about-senior-drivers\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/assistinghands.com\\\/6\\\/newjersey\\\/centralnj\\\/blog\\\/five-myths-about-senior-drivers\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/assistinghands.com\\\/6\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Five Myths About Senior Drivers\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/assistinghands.com\\\/6\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/assistinghands.com\\\/6\\\/\",\"name\":\"Central New Jersey\",\"description\":\"Quality Home Care You Can Trust\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/assistinghands.com\\\/6\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/assistinghands.com\\\/6\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b64e2d3f2eca690fa5fc21e74c32eb1f\",\"name\":\"Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/71e3099d646161986907969929794effe8e77525d121840c4bc1fcb0189f6e4c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/71e3099d646161986907969929794effe8e77525d121840c4bc1fcb0189f6e4c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/71e3099d646161986907969929794effe8e77525d121840c4bc1fcb0189f6e4c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/assistinghands.com\\\/6\\\/newjersey\\\/centralnj\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/agepath\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Five Myths About Senior Drivers - Central New Jersey","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/newjersey\/centralnj\/blog\/five-myths-about-senior-drivers\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Five Myths About Senior Drivers - Central New Jersey","og_url":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/newjersey\/centralnj\/blog\/five-myths-about-senior-drivers\/","og_site_name":"Central New Jersey","article_published_time":"2015-12-17T15:17:03+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-10-11T10:44:57+00:00","og_image":[{"width":512,"height":341,"url":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2023\/01\/Assistinghandimage.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/newjersey\/centralnj\/blog\/five-myths-about-senior-drivers\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/newjersey\/centralnj\/blog\/five-myths-about-senior-drivers\/"},"author":{"name":"Admin","@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/#\/schema\/person\/b64e2d3f2eca690fa5fc21e74c32eb1f"},"headline":"Five Myths About Senior Drivers","datePublished":"2015-12-17T15:17:03+00:00","dateModified":"2021-10-11T10:44:57+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/newjersey\/centralnj\/blog\/five-myths-about-senior-drivers\/"},"wordCount":983,"articleSection":["Blog"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/newjersey\/centralnj\/blog\/five-myths-about-senior-drivers\/","url":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/newjersey\/centralnj\/blog\/five-myths-about-senior-drivers\/","name":"Five Myths About Senior Drivers - Central New Jersey","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/#website"},"datePublished":"2015-12-17T15:17:03+00:00","dateModified":"2021-10-11T10:44:57+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/#\/schema\/person\/b64e2d3f2eca690fa5fc21e74c32eb1f"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/newjersey\/centralnj\/blog\/five-myths-about-senior-drivers\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/newjersey\/centralnj\/blog\/five-myths-about-senior-drivers\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/newjersey\/centralnj\/blog\/five-myths-about-senior-drivers\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Five Myths About Senior Drivers"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/#website","url":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/","name":"Central New Jersey","description":"Quality Home Care You Can Trust","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/#\/schema\/person\/b64e2d3f2eca690fa5fc21e74c32eb1f","name":"Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/71e3099d646161986907969929794effe8e77525d121840c4bc1fcb0189f6e4c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/71e3099d646161986907969929794effe8e77525d121840c4bc1fcb0189f6e4c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/71e3099d646161986907969929794effe8e77525d121840c4bc1fcb0189f6e4c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Admin"},"url":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/newjersey\/centralnj\/blog\/author\/agepath\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=807"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5759,"href":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807\/revisions\/5759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}