Safe Driving with Driverthink

Our Senior Drivers often seem to be stereotyped as slow, less skilled and perhaps even seriously dangerous drivers.  Many of them seem content to contribute to this stereotype.  Many more prefer not to.

So why is it that so many with more than a few decades of driving experience, allow their driving abilities to deteriorate, while so many others maintain the skills and capabilities of drivers far younger?  Driverthink would suggest that it’s nine parts eyesight and one part everything else.  Yeah, there may be other factors, but the Eyes Have It.

If you happen to be one of those lucky types, blessed with acute vision for life, this commentary will probably be somewhat foreign to you, but if you belong to the group that occasionally requires a little eye ball tweaking, stay with me here.

It probably goes without saying that, as we age, we begin to realize we’re not twenty-one any more.  Our reflexes can become somewhat less than instantaneous, especially if we let them.  Medical issues at any age can also restrict physical or mental abilities. But normal driving isn’t a particularly athletic endeavor and nothing will magnify these seeming limitations behind the wheel, more than not being able to simply see things – clearly and effectively.

Just exactly how does impaired vision affect our driving?  It kind of depends on exactly how impaired it is.

Obviously if we can’t see the road out in front of us, we’re already a hazard to the driving (and likely, the pedestrian) society.  But to a lesser degree, poor vision will directly affect our ability to judge distance and speed – and this will affect our reaction time.
 
Impaired vision then, directly affects our reaction time.  If we can’t clearly see and judge a developing road situation, we can’t very quickly react to it.  Senior drivers are often criticized for their slow reaction time.  Perhaps it’s not so much slow reflexes, as it is that they simply couldn’t see the problem in time to react to it quickly! 

If you react with lightning quickness to loud noises or events close to you, but find yourself hesitant on the road, focus in on your eyesight as a potential culprit

So why is it then, that only senior drivers get the bum rap?  There are plenty of younger drivers who wrestle with vision problems.  Perhaps it’s because for seniors, the vision issue creeps up on us.  It’s a subtle thing. We don’t realize that it’s the eyes that are abandoning us.  Or maybe we do, but we fail to do anything about it because of the cost or simple procrastination.  Not good.

Hopefully, we don’t just wake up one morning and discover we can’t see as well as we could the day before.  Rather, our vision deteriorates slowly and we don’t even realize it’s fading away – into a blur.
 
Then, we simply write off our restricted abilities to age, and expect other drivers to accept us as we are – less capable but yet respected senior members of society.  Most people are more than willing to respect the senior status – but not if we’re on the road with them and our driving is placing them and their families at extreme risk.  That’s sort of a lot to ask!  Besides, dangerous driving is not respectable – at any age.

As seniors, especially if we’re retired and living a more sedimentary life style, we may also not be using our vision as much as our younger, more active members of society.  It’s kind of a “use it or lose it” thing.  We may not even realize our eyeballs are going AWOL – until we crank the ignition, pull out from a cross road, and suddenly hear a car careening toward us with brakes locked in a panic one-eighty degree skid.

So what’s a secret to successful senior driving?  Why can so many seniors continue to drive safely and effectively well into their nineties, while others strike fear into the hearts of anyone driving in the same County with them?

The eyes have it.  If you can see, you can probably drive.  If you can’t, you can’t – or at least you can’t drive safely and responsibly.  It doesn’t get much simpler.

If you’re a Senior Driver or a driver of any age, and you find your judgment slipping, your reflexes slowing or your confidence behind the wheel waning, check the eyeballs.  It may be that you just can’t see well enough. Don’t just give up or ignore the problem, and don’t rely on that silly little DMV test once every whenever, to keep you honest.

Get to a doctor and get those lenses enlightened.  Don’t let limited vision slow you down or make your driving a dangerous liability! 

If you can’t see – you can’t drive.  The Eyes have it!