Tips to Ensure that Seniors Drive Safely, Avoid Accidents

Maintaining your independence is an important aspect of growing older. Having the ability to drive is an important part of maintaining this independence, but precautions are often needed to avoid auto accidents, which are responsible for injuring hundreds of thousands of seniors each year. Senior citizens are vital for a healthy, functioning society, and these tips can help ensure that these important people continue to drive safely.

Health and Medications

Physical and mental changes that come with age can affect the ability to safely drive a vehicle. Regular doctor appointments are a helpful way to monitor these physical and mental changes, including hearing and vision tests. Pain or stiffness in your joints can affect your ability to control your vehicle and react quickly. Chronic conditions and the medications that treat them can affect driving as well. As vision decreases with age, nighttime driving can be more difficult. 

Know Your Limitations

One of the most helpful ways seniors can maintain safe driving habits is to know their limitations, whether that means driving less at night when it’s harder to see or keeping trips shorter to avoid the fatigue and stress of long drives. Other practical steps include allowing yourself more reaction time by increasing your following distance. Another good idea for drivers of all ages is to anticipate conditions and prepare to brake early, like when approaching an intersection or when a road merges up ahead.

Choose the Right Vehicle and Adjust Driving Position

Driving the right vehicle and ensuring it is properly adjusted to your driving position can go a long way to ensure safe driving. Some vehicles have better handling and quicker brake-response time, which can help as reaction time can decrease with age. If you adjust the position of the driver’s seat to better reach the pedals, hold the steering wheel comfortably, and see your side and rearview mirrors, that will help increase your ability to handle the vehicle. The height of the seat is an important factor that many forget to adjust.

Improve Skills Through Mature Driving Courses

Many communities offer driving courses aimed at helping seniors maintain their safe driving habits and stay on the road longer. All drivers can benefit from improving their driving skills, so it’s a good choice to take advantage of such safety classes.

Plan Ahead and Know the Conditions

Another practical way to increase safe driving is by planning ahead to avoid hazardous driving conditions. It may be wise to avoid high-traffic conditions, such as the morning and evening rush hours. Rain and snow mean the roads are more hazardous, and often it’s best to avoid driving in these conditions. Another good idea is to get in the habit of keeping your headlights on while driving at all times of the day so you won’t accidentally forget them at night or on rainy days.

We care about your safety. Blue Ribbon Chrysler Dodge Jeep is committed to safe driving for drivers of all ages. These tips for seniors can make a big difference to aid safe travel. A safe and properly maintained vehicle is also vital for safe driving, so stop by and we can show you our excellent lineup of safe and comfortable Chryslers, Dodges, and Jeeps.

 

Image via Flickr by qlexxx | CC BY 2.0 | Cropped from original

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