They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Jim Kruempelstaedter, for one, doesn’t buy that expression for a minute.
After teaching driving instruction on the North Shore for 36 years–and now focusing on elderly drivers–he knows better.
“Even though the drivers I work with have an average of 50 years behind the wheel, it’s surprising that they all seem to learn something and appreciate what you’re doing for them,” said Kruempelstaedter, 64, who holds classes at the North Shore Senior Center in Northfield. “They’re a much more responsive audience than most high school kids are.”
After a career teaching teen drivers, for the last six years Kruempelstaedter has been a volunteer instructor for the “55 Alive” program.The eight-hour course promotes safe-driving strategies for drivers over age 50.
Such programs and other efforts to keep motorists safe, and steer unsafe drivers away from driving, are only expected to grow in coming years.
With more and more older drivers in a society dedicated to freedom of mobility, mature motorists, their families and the public have a vested interest in keeping them safe behind the wheel. But trying to assess skills, compensate for declining abilities and, finally, recognize when driving should cease are all emotional steps. Often heartbreak results when the bottom line is, “Who’s in the driver’s seat?”
One comparison, though, holds true for teens and seniors alike, Kruempelstaedter said.
“The senior’s attitude to keep a license is the same as a teenager trying to get a license: It’s a station in life, it’s status,” he said. “And it’s like an end of life for a senior to lose a license, because if you can’t get around to do things, it’s very unfortunate.” So devastating is the cessation of driving that one researcher at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrationreported, “People have told me that it was harder for them to tell someone they couldn’t drive than to tell them a diagnosis of cancer.”
Indeed, support groups for seniors who’ve lost licenses have sprung up to help ease the transition from driver to non-driver.
In a report from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the alarm regarding older drivers is real. An examination of crash and fatality rates per mile driven shows that fatalities remain level for drivers up to age 75, then rise, particularly for drivers over 80. The much higher rate comes not only from ability factors but also to a great extent from the fragility of those of advanced age. Crash injuries are generally more severe in those over 80, compared with younger victims.
By 2020, there will be an additional 20 million older adults in the population. According to the report, traffic deaths could climb 45 percent among those aged 75 and older, applying today’s fatality rates. The “Improving Transportation for a Maturing Society” report indicated rates might be even higher, unless safety measures–in terms of drivers’ skills or improvements in road or vehicular design–can make dramatic differences.
But the challenge, too, is balancing rights and responsibilities.
“From a social point of view, how do we make sure that older people, or anybody who’s unsafe as a driver, is removed without discriminating on the basis of age?” asked Signe Gleeson, a geriatric specialist whose Naperville firm, ElderCare Solutions, helps families deal with aging issues.
“Like anything, you have to take people as individuals and recognize that there’s a wide variation in performance.”
Skills do decline with age. Reaction time slows. Vision and hearing deteriorate. For many, glare becomes more distracting. Many seniors take medications that can cause reactions alone or in combination with other drugs. New or unusual situations can be difficult to cope with if mental processing is hindered. Flexibility is reduced and can impair movement.
Kruempelstaedter stresses those mounting concerns in his course.
“We go over what these changes are and how the seniors can adjust to them and stress defensive driving techniques to address them,” he said.
Allowing a larger following distance between cars or restricting driving to daylight hours in familiar neighborhoods are among class lessons.
Seniors also are encouraged to learn all they can about their medications, with the help of physicians, nurses and pharmacists. “We want them to understand that a label that says, `Do not operate heavy machinery while taking this medication,’ also means `Do not drive a car.'” Kruempelstaedter said.He also promotes the advantage of backseat drivers.
“Things out of the ordinary confuse some mature drivers and they have a tendency to panic,” he said. “When something unusual happens, they need a longer time to take in the information and then to physically react to it. We always recommend if they’re going to a place they’re not too familiar with to always drive with somebody else. That gives them a second set of eyes looking for road signs and helps to better alert them to traffic situations.”
The Illinois Secretary of State’s office responds to those ability changes in licensing rules. Drivers’ licenses are renewed every four years until age 80. Those ages 81-85 must renew on a two-year schedule and take a road and vision test. Those age 87 and older are tested annually. A written test is required only if an authority–a physician, a family member or a representative of law enforcement–has asked to investigate.
The approach of the traffic safety association is that people should be able to get around as long as they possibly can.
So, if something can be fixed to keep drivers safely on the road, fix it. That includes items like cushions to raise the driver for a better field of vision, mounting additional mirrors if those will aid the driver, a change in medication or more frequent maintenance checks of the car. The headlights should be cleaned more often, and the windshield fluid refilled frequently. Exercise that will help improve range of motion should be encouraged, with medical approval. An eye exam should be scheduled. And a refresher course, like “55 Alive,” will help educate the senior about driving strategies.More assistance may come from engineering improvements to cars and roadways.
At the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute in Ann Arbor, researchers say the future may bring more elder-friendly roads, with larger lettering on signage, broader turn bays and other vision enhancements. Cars will be equipped with features to improve night and fog vision, alarms to keep drivers awake, aids to maintain proper lane position and indicators to signal when objects are too close.
“With the Baby Boomers coming, the Federal Highway Administration has been looking at traffic engineering and Intelligent Transportation Systems [vehicle improvements geared toward human factors]. The aim is to enhance features on the highway and vehicle,” said Lidia Kostyniuk, associate research scientist at the institute.
Such changes are down the road, for now.
Those grappling with elder driving issues today should focus on key points, experts agree.
“The reality is most people self-monitor, cutting back driving to meet their decreasing skills,” Gleeson said. “They will stop driving anywhere but their well-known route to church or the grocery store.”
“But in every instance, prior to making a real decision, you need to look at alternatives,” she said
“Younger people, often the grown children, may make a decision about ending driving and assert this decision rather than making it a dialogue. It needs to be a gradual, supportive decision, discussed over time, and it must include options for transportation.”
Present share-a-ride programs, taxi services or having family members or friends handle driving needs, among other solutions. Remember to prevent isolation during this difficult transition and beyond, Gleeson said.
The end of driving should be treated as the serious loss it is, and time for anger, grieving and understanding is needed, according to Gleeson.
As one traffic safety administration researcher commented, “What most people, especially men, really want to do is drive themselves to the undertaker.”
A loving, supportive approach can help keep the end of one road from not feeling like the end of the road.
CLASSES FOR MATURE MOTORISTS
Seniors can brush up on driving skills through the following courses:
– 55 Alive/Mature Driving: The course, sponsored by the AARP, is designed specifically for drivers age 50 and older. The focus is on skill improvement and instruction on how to avoid accidents and traffic violations. The cost is $10 for the 8-hour course and completion may entitle driver to an insurance discount. Call 800-424-3410.
– Coaching the Mature Driver: The program is offered by the National Safety Council. Completion may entitle driver to an insurance discount. Fees and class lengths vary. Call 800-621-7619.
– Seniors on the Go: This is a two-hour Illinois’ Rules of the Road review or a half-day program that combines the review with driver simulation. The programs are offered by the Secretary of State and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. A vision test offered in conjunction with the review course and successful completion entitles the driver to a vision certificate to present at license renewal. The course is free but reservations are required. Call 800-252-2904.
— Candace Purdom
