Tips for Safe Driving

Make Adjustments

Staying safe on the road as you get older may mean making adjustments for age-related physical changes and health conditions and taking steps to improve your driving. 

Here are some tips to help you drive safely if you experience changes in vision, hearing, attention and reaction time, or strength, flexibility and coordination. There are also tips on how to keep medications from interfering with your driving.

Make Sure You See Well Enough

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There are several steps to take to make sure you see well enough to drive safely. 

• Have your vision checked every 1 to 2 years. An eye doctor can treat many vision problems. For example, surgery can remove cataracts.
• If you wear glasses or contact lenses, ask your eye doctor or optometrist if you need a new prescription. Antireflective lenses and polarized sunglasses can help reduce glare. Always wear corrective lenses while driving.
• Limit driving to daytime hours if you have trouble seeing in the dark.
• Keep your windshield, mirrors, and headlights clean. Turn the brightness up on the instrument panel.
• Adjust your seat height so you can see the road for at least 10 feet ahead of your car. 

Many states require people who renew their driver’s licenses to have their vision tested. Such requirements have been shown to reduce deaths among older drivers. People who do not pass the test are told to get an eye exam. 

To learn about an eye exam that adults 60+ should have at least once a year, see Comprehensive Dilated Eye Exam.

Check Your Hearing 

You can also take several steps to make sure you hear well enough to drive safely. 

• Have your hearing checked every 3 years.
• If necessary, get a hearing aid – and use it when you drive.
• Keep the inside of the car as quiet as possible while driving. If the radio or conversations with other people are distracting, limit those, too.
• Watch for the flashing lights of emergency vehicles. You may not hear a siren from a distance.Click here to continue reading.