{"id":1081,"date":"2014-09-16T08:00:37","date_gmt":"2014-09-16T12:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/?p=1081"},"modified":"2014-09-16T08:01:38","modified_gmt":"2014-09-16T12:01:38","slug":"driver-safety-for-seniors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/articles\/driver-safety-for-seniors\/","title":{"rendered":"Driver Safety for Seniors"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_1077\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1077\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1077\" src=\"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/elder-woman-startled-when-driving-300x237.jpg\" alt=\"While you may have the ability to drive, know your limitations. It's for your protection &amp; safety.\" width=\"300\" height=\"237\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/elder-woman-startled-when-driving-300x237.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/elder-woman-startled-when-driving.jpg 389w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1077\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">While you may have the ability to drive, know your limitations. It&#8217;s for your protection &amp; safety.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Aging adults often fear losing their independence, and the ability to drive is at the top of the list.\u00a0 According to a poll taken by the American Automobile Association (AAA), 85% of all seniors fear losing their driving privileges.\u00a0 However, this does not necessarily need to happen to you.\u00a0 Under the right conditions, it may be possible for some seniors to drive safely well into their 90\u2019s.\u00a0 The key to continuing to drive successfully lies in your ability to take note of the changes in your body over time and adjust your driving style accordingly.\u00a0 Read on for some tips that will allow you to maintain your driving privileges safely.<!--more--><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Manage your health.<\/strong>\u00a0 If you have any chronic conditions which could impact your ability to drive, such as a seizure disorder or diabetes, it is very important you receive the necessary medical care to manage your health.\u00a0 You should follow your doctor\u2019s instructions regarding driving safety to the absolute letter.\u00a0 Additionally, if you are taking any medications, including over-the-counter drugs, talk to your doctor about any side effects which could impair your ability to drive.\u00a0 Something as seemingly harmless as an allergy pill can make you drowsy and impair your ability to operate a vehicle.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Have your hearing and vision tested regularly.<\/strong>\u00a0 It\u2019s an unfortunate fact that as we get older, our hearing and vision will naturally decline.\u00a0 These changes can happen slowly over time, to the point where they may be imperceptible to you, but will be noticed by a doctor.\u00a0 Since both of these senses are crucial to your driving ability, it\u2019s important to know if you are experiencing issues severe enough to require treatment.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stay physically active.<\/strong>\u00a0 Doctors already recommend you do this for your overall health, but you may not realize it\u2019s important for your driving abilities as well.\u00a0 Exercise improves your flexibility and strength.\u00a0 Over time, it will help you maintain your ability to easily perform driving maneuvers such as looking over your shoulder and turning the steering wheel.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Choose optimal driving conditions and know your limitations.<\/strong>\u00a0 Understand that while you may still be able to drive, you may not be able to drive safely under all conditions.\u00a0 For example, you may choose to avoid driving in inclement weather due to the additional risk, or decide to no longer drive at night due to poor visibility.\u00a0 You should also perform a self-check before getting behind the wheel to determine if you are fully prepared to do so.\u00a0 If you find that you are feeling tired, sick, or emotional, you should opt for public transportation instead.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Aging adults often fear losing their independence, and the ability to drive is at the top of the list.\u00a0 According to a poll taken by the American Automobile Association (AAA), 85% of all seniors fear losing their driving privileges.\u00a0 However, this does not necessarily need to happen to you.\u00a0 Under the right conditions, it may [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":1077,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[156,157,155],"acf":[],"modified_by":"ArticlesTips","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1081"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1081"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1081\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1091,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1081\/revisions\/1091"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}