Millie Glore had driven hundreds of thousands of miles without an accident during her more than 70 years of driving. But eye problems have her now sitting in the passenger seat.
“I miss driving. I miss it something awful,” the 86-year-old woman said. “But I don’t miss it to the point of risking injuries to myself and other drivers.”
Like many her age, Glore is now dependent on friends or a county transportation service to get her to and from doctor’s visits and grocery shopping. Yet, she is philosophical about her predicament.
“There’s more to life than driving,” she said. “I have plenty of time to wait for a ride.”
Glore had been driving since age 13. A year ago, she was driving back home from a shopping trip in a nearby town when she found herself driving off the side of the road.
“I thought I was hugging the center line, but my car kept going off the edge of the road,” she recalled. “I knew it was my eyes. So I went real slow and worried I might hit another car or run completely off the road and have a bad accident.”
Glore was diagnosed with cataracts in both her eyes. Her doctor told her not to drive until after she had surgery.
“I’ve driven all over this country — every state in the [continental] United States, except Delaware,” she said. “I’ve never had an accident, and I don’t intend to have one. Even after my surgery, I won’t drive anymore. I know from experience that I don’t think as quick or react as quick. At my age, it’s time to leave the driving to somebody else.”
Decreased muscle strength, reaction time and vision all take their toll on driving ability as people age, according to Dr. Robert Frost, a volunteer instructor for “55 Alive/Mature Driving,” a two-day driving course in Illinois. The course for seniors was developed by the American Association for Retired Persons.
U.S. Department of Transportation figures for 1998 show that drivers age 70 and older were involved in 161,000 traffic accidents, accounting for 5 percent of all the people injured in such crashes that year. But seniors’ per-mile accident percentage mirrors the levels of motorists in their teens and early 20s, the age group with the worst driving record.
Only teenagers have crash rates higher than drivers 85 and older. A report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that drivers 85 and older are involved in 12 wrecks per every million miles. Drivers between 16 and 19 years old average 21 wrecks every million miles.
Designed for drivers 50 years of age and older, ”55 Alive” takes into consideration the physical changes of older drivers and teaches them ways to better avoid accidents and traffic violations, Frost said.
“There are many ways older drivers can compensate for a decrease in driving skills and be safer drivers,” Frost said. “Many older drivers don’t drive after dark. They avoid the worst traffic congestion. They take shorter trips. And on long trips they take plenty of breaks. These are just a few examples.”
The vagaries of time affect us all, said Frost, a 76-year-old retired dentist. But they affect some more than others.
“There is no age that you can say a driver is too old to drive,” the instructor said. “I’ve seen many excellent drivers who are in their 80s and 90s. But they all know their limitations.”
For example, Illinois has in excess of 100 licensed drivers who are more than 100 years old, according to Tom Doubet, deputy director of senior and community services for Illinois.
“Age is not a good predictor of a person’s driving skill,” Doubet said. “But at the same time, we do test seniors more often to see if they still have the skills.”
In a graying society, getting unsafe older drivers off the road is a growing problem for families and caregivers.
“Unfortunately, it takes an accident for some to get the word,” Frost said.
Because of illness, medications or age-related problems, there are many licensed drivers who should not be driving a vehicle, said Dr. H.J. Borger, who coordinates “55 Alive” courses throughout the state.
“Some drivers may not be aware when their driving skills have deteriorated,” Borger said. “That’s why it’s important for family members and friends to be aware of signs that may indicate a person shouldn’t be behind the wheel.”
Such signs include:
*Driving too slow for traffic conditions.
*Driving erratically.
*Several fender benders in a short period of time.
*Lack of awareness of other people’s safety.
*Periods of mental confusion.