Do you know anybody over age 90 who is still driving?

[Cheshire Figment]

My mother finally stopped driving when she was only 93. But for about six years before that she would not drive at night.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I went to clear the snow from around my mom's car today and while I was at it she asked me to clean the snow from around her friend's car too. They both live in apartments for the elderly... 65 and older.

Anyway as I am cleaning her friends car area, my mom mentioned that this woman was going to be 94 years old next week. Honestly, I'm kind of shocked that a 94 year old person would still be driving....

My mom is almost 70, and I imagine her doctor will be telling her not to drive anymore. I'm surprised he hasn't already. ( I am NOT saying 70 year olds shouldn't drive, but I wouldn't mind if they had to take a test every 3 -5 years. )

My FIL is 84 and he drives.... but I sure as heck won't get in the car with him. He scares the bejeezus out of me when he drives.

Same with my 88 year old grandmother. She is very mentally on top of things, but has no reflexes. No way she should be driving. It literally takes her 3 seconds to reach up and scratch her head if it itches.

Do you know any people that are 90 years old, or older, who are still driving....

AND WOULD YOU GET IN THE CAR WITH THEM IF THEY WERE DRIVING?

My grandfather is 93 and not only does he still drive, he still works full time. He is a grain broker and even won the company trip last year for high sales. He's is still super active and still very mentally sharp. I have no qualms about riding in the car with him. My grandmother, his wife, is 85 and still works full time also. She is a secretary at the high school in the town they live in. She also still drives and is very active.

Even though my grandparents are still active and are still okay to drive, do think that there should be a yearly driving test for senior citizens over a certain age. There are many on the roads that probably shouldn't be.

 

[Talking Hands]

My Grandmother--she is practically deaf and will be 91 next week! She has absolutely no business driving any longer primarily because of her lack of hearing! Other than that, she is mentally sharp and alert.

I have to disagree with you if her hearing is the only issue. Many deaf and hard of hearing drive cars and are just as safe as any hearing person. They are more visually alert than a hearing person and use their eyes instead of their ears so they have to focus on what they are doing. Being deaf doesn't mean you are a dangerous driver.

 

[arminnie]

The percentage of people over 90 who can safely drive is probably fairly low, but it certainly is well above zero.

I had my dad take me to the airport at 5 am until he was at least 86. This involved multiple freeways, lane merging,etc. He was a great driver. He grew up in Detroit in the 20s and honestly didn't remember learning how to drive. Back in those day you might just try it at 10!

But by 88 and a couple of long hospitalizations he was no longer driving. He lived in an independent living facility. Many there had cars. When he asked about his car I told him it was in the parking lot at the bottom of the hill. If he could walk to get it and be able to walk back up that hill after driving it, then he was free to drive. Never told him he could never drive - but the hill sure did. He never even tried.

 

[JoiseyMom]

I went to clear the snow from around my mom's car today and while I was at it she asked me to clean the snow from around her friend's car too. They both live in apartments for the elderly... 65 and older.

Anyway as I am cleaning her friends car area, my mom mentioned that this woman was going to be 94 years old next week. Honestly, I'm kind of shocked that a 94 year old person would still be driving....

My mom is almost 70, and I imagine her doctor will be telling her not to drive anymore. I'm surprised he hasn't already. ( I am NOT saying 70 year olds shouldn't drive, but I wouldn't mind if they had to take a test every 3 -5 years. )

My FIL is 84 and he drives.... but I sure as heck won't get in the car with him. He scares the bejeezus out of me when he drives.

Same with my 88 year old grandmother. She is very mentally on top of things, but has no reflexes. No way she should be driving. It literally takes her 3 seconds to reach up and scratch her head if it itches.

Do you know any people that are 90 years old, or older, who are still driving....

AND WOULD YOU GET IN THE CAR WITH THEM IF THEY WERE DRIVING?

DH's GM couldn't get her DL last year due to failing the vision test. She is 98!! She was driving without a DL for months before my FIL found out and pulled the plug. She asked my DS to help her find an eye doctor she could bribe!! We are thankful she is off the road. She never drove at night or in bad weather, but she would drive back and forth between Brooklyn and NJ. She doesn't realize what facalities she has that are diminished. All she hears is people telling her what great shape she is in for her age. Yes, HER AGE. She doens't get that part!

 

[bumbershoot]

My next door neighbor is 93, and he drives every day. I would ride with him. His stepson lives with him, and obviously he's younger, and he seems older than his stepfather, and he's always the passenger.

My mother in law is in her 70s and she drives just fine. Well, let's just say, the same as she always drove.


My husband got to take the driving and written test over again a few years ago, when he went in for renewal. He was told that WA wants to help with the problem of people's health changing and how it affects driving, but they don't want to be age discriminatory, so it's random...

He was only 35 at the time, and he was AMAZED at how much he had forgotten! It was a serious pain at the time (he hadn't gotten the letter about it, and went in just days before his renewal *had to be done*), but he was glad for the experience.

 

[minkydog]

DHs grandma drove until she was 92 and she was NOT a good driver. She had several accidents. She never hurt anyone but she could have. The only thing that stopped her was a fractured hip.

My grandfather drove until he was 87. And he has alzheimers! One day he drove his car head on into a water-filled ditch. By the grace of God, the water was shallow and he didn't get onto the 4-lane highway that is just beyond the ditch. My brother, who lived with him, took the keys away that very day. Still, Granddaddy would go out to the car every afternoon around 5pm saying he needed to go home. Brother would give him a spare set of keys that went with a different car and Grandaddy would fiddle and fiddle with them until he got frustrated and came storming back into the house, every single day. My long suffering brother would offer to go out their and "try to start it" for him. Bro would fire it up, then offer to drive Grandaddy home. He took him about a mile or so out, made a loop and came back to the house. Granddaddy would come in, fix himself a bowl of cereal, and get ready for bed. Every night. Thank goodness we got him off the road

 

[Mama-san]

My 85 y.o. GM still drives. She is still very sharp and alert after suffering strokes the past two years, and doesn't drive at night or in bad weather. That being said, I have my reservations about her driving, particularly much futher outside of our small town. She's had a few slight dings (broken head lamp, scraped bumper, etc.), and besides talking on phone while driving, she brings along her make up and jewelry to put on while in the car, because she's running late for wherever she's going. She's mentioned picking up my kids and taking them to town to McDonalds, but there is no way in heck I'm putting them in the car with her (I'll just tell her we'll all go I and I will drive).

I think a shot of scotch every now and then would do her some good, but she loves to boast that she is a "teetotaler".

 

[DisneyScraps]

My next door neighbor is 94 and still drives but rarely. She is sharp as a tack but slow moving to a back injury. I have offered to take her any place she wants to go but she has never asked. She is fiercely independent. She also has a large army of church people that help her.

Lisa

 

[tvguy]

My mom is 87 and still drives. My Uncle is 90 and still drives. My next door neighbors dad is 90 and still drives, drives himself over every Sunday night for dinner.
My mom attends the AARP "55 Alive" driving classes every few years, gets a huge discount on her insurance for going. She had to renew her license last year, and was shocked once again that they didn't require a behind the wheel test because of her age.
According to insurance stats, drivers over age 81 are safer drivers than those 16 to 24, having fewer accidents per mile driven.

 

[Lassie Lynne]

This is a hot potato topic in my house. We were so glad when FIL (80) decided to give up driving after a bad infection that hospitalized him. He wasn't quite sure about his mobility, so with our encouragement, he gave up the car. Trust me, my DH, I and I think the state of Pennslyvania all gave up a sigh of relief. His driving is not good. Five years ago I was in the car with him (for the last time) and he almost ran over a person backing up and then made a left hand turn in front of a semi and almost got me killed. DH and I will never, ever get in the car with him again.

Now, FIL is back on our case about getting his car back. We have talked him into taking a driving course where he is actually evaluated by a driver in a car with extra brakes, to see just how his driving is, since he hasn't been in a car for over 8 months. At least, if it is still bad, maybe someone else will tell him too.....he thinks we are being mean.

 

[charming23]

My Grandma is 91 and still drives. In fact she is th only one in her group of friends that can still drive at night. The only thing she does not do is drive far distances alone anymore. Either we take her or she shares the driving with a friend.

 

[BroganMc]

According to insurance stats, drivers over age 81 are safer drivers than those 16 to 24, having fewer accidents per mile driven.

That's because studies have shown older drivers have more experience evaluating driving conditions and can compensate much better for any deficiencies. Younger drivers are bad because they lack experience. But the worst drivers, increasingly, are the working soccer moms... the 30-50 yo adults who have way too much to do, too little sleep and thus are constantly multi-tasking when they should be paying attention to what's around them on the road.

I'm a disabled driver so I have had to go through a great deal of extra scrutiny and training to get and keep my license. That and my experience on the road has taught me to extra cautious. I avoid driving in bad weather and give lots of breaking/maneuvering distance to myself.

Always amazes me the stupid chances I see some drivers take on the road. I guarantee if I see that cell phone at your ear, I'm going to slow down and get as far away from you as possible. I treat cell phone users like drunk drivers... idiots waiting for the accident to happen.

If you're concerned about an older driver, there should be a Medical Advisory Board in your state who evaluates driver ability. They can check medical records and require additional testing for the driver. You are supposed to inform your state DMV if you think your health may impair your driving.

One of my biggest bugaboos is that driving is a privilege not a right. I don't get behind the wheel unless I feel responsible enough to drive safely. I never forget that's a 2000lb weapon at my control.

 

[Bonnie151]

My mother was finally forced to stop driving at 86. She should have stopped years before as she was having countless minor accidents - driving into ditches that she "didn't see", misjudging passing someone and clipping their car ("I DIDN'T clip his car! He's making it up!") etc. Finally, she was driving to my cousin's house with a vase of flowers on the passenger seat next to her. It started to tip and the water started to spill out. Instead of pulling over to sort it, she leaned over to straighten it up while driving and crashed into a telephone pole. She was in hospital for quite a while and at the end, to "make alll of you quiet", she resat her exam and promptly failed. I have a sneaking suspicion that she was forced to take the exam again but she's never admitted this.

She STILL blames the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for being "out to get older drivers."

 

[shirleyb]

When my great aunt was in her early 90's, she had a "job" as a chauffeur for women in their 70s who had stopped driving. None of them had a clue she was that much older than they were. She was a real trip. I think she drove until she was 95.

 

[minkydog]

My mother was finally forced to stop driving at 86. She should have stopped years before as she was having countless minor accidents - driving into ditches that she "didn't see", misjudging passing someone and clipping their car ("I DIDN'T clip his car! He's making it up!") etc. Finally, she was driving to my cousin's house with a vase of flowers on the passenger seat next to her. It started to tip and the water started to spill out. Instead of pulling over to sort it, she leaned over to straighten it up while driving and crashed into a telephone pole. She was in hospital for quite a while and at the end, to "make alll of you quiet", she resat her exam and promptly failed. I have a sneaking suspicion that she was forced to take the exam again but she's never admitted this.

She STILL blames the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for being "out to get older drivers."

OMG, we just went through this with my uncle. He's in his mid-80s and recently he ran head on into a building when he got confused and hit the gass instead of the brake. But then he threw it into reverse and managed to hit two cars! And he was ranting and raving because the doctor, the family and the State of Virginia was just predjudiced against him. Ye gods.

 

[suzanna1066@comcast.]

My 90 year old Grandmother still drives and still climbs on the roof to clean her gutters.

 

[golfgal]

I have to disagree with you if her hearing is the only issue. Many deaf and hard of hearing drive cars and are just as safe as any hearing person. They are more visually alert than a hearing person and use their eyes instead of their ears so they have to focus on what they are doing. Being deaf doesn't mean you are a dangerous driver.

 

[manning]

I went to clear the snow from around my mom's car today and while I was at it she asked me to clean the snow from around her friend's car too. They both live in apartments for the elderly... 65 and older.

Anyway as I am cleaning her friends car area, my mom mentioned that this woman was going to be 94 years old next week. Honestly, I'm kind of shocked that a 94 year old person would still be driving....

My mom is almost 70, and I imagine her doctor will be telling her not to drive anymore. I'm surprised he hasn't already. ( I am NOT saying 70 year olds shouldn't drive, but I wouldn't mind if they had to take a test every 3 -5 years. )

My FIL is 84 and he drives.... but I sure as heck won't get in the car with him. He scares the bejeezus out of me when he drives.

Same with my 88 year old grandmother. She is very mentally on top of things, but has no reflexes. No way she should be driving. It literally takes her 3 seconds to reach up and scratch her head if it itches.

Do you know any people that are 90 years old, or older, who are still driving....

AND WOULD YOU GET IN THE CAR WITH THEM IF THEY WERE DRIVING?

A car pulled out in front of me today (close call) and the driver, who couldn't be over 40 didn't even know I was there, Never even looked my way. And on top of that the storm was beginning.

 

[Becky2005]

Hmmm....here they do road tests pretty often for the older crowd. I know it starts at every 2 years and then at some point it is a yearly road test.

I guess I would answer yes I would get in the car because my dad drove not only myself but my 4 kids also 1,000 miles to CT for my niece's wedding and back home. He's turning 75 next month. Of course, my parents are pretty spry for their ages and I think if they had to they could pretty much outdo me on a lot of things. It's always a running joke when people tell us to slow down and pretend we are out with our parents -- we just look at them and go "you don't know our parents" -- we'd have to speed UP!