Delaware safe driving campaign targets senior citizens
By DOVER — The Delaware Office of Highway Safety announced this week the launch of its new safe-driving campaign targeting adults over the age of 65 and their caregivers.
Through the new initiative, Office of Highway Safety recognizes the importance of ensuring this age group understands how aging can impact their driving habits and create a risky environment on the road, a news release.
Along with this key audience, Office of Highway Safety saw a significant opportunity to reach families and friends of these individuals, who may need encouragement to have an important conversation with a loved one once the opportunity presents itself.
“With age, it becomes difficult to understand how an action learned and performed over many years can turn into one of the most challenging,” Office of Highway Safety Senior Traffic Program Manager Sarah Cattie said.
:Noticing an increase in stress while driving, seeing cars seemingly appear out of nowhere, and becoming a target of other drivers’ honking are unfortunately all actions and feelings experienced by older drivers.”
With messaging focused on promoting age consciousness, Office of Highway Safety HS compiled key resources and educational materials to help individuals recognize how changes to health and reliance on medications can impair the ability to drive safely.
Office of Highway Safety offers tips for aging adults to consider while preparing for the future:
• Start planning. If you’re preparing for retirement, it may be useful to consider how you will eventually travel from point A to point B without operating a vehicle.
• See your healthcare provider regularly. To keep up with health changes that impact driving, use the right eyeglasses, take needed medications, and follow provider-approved exercise routines.
• Get help when needed. Although you have driven for most of your life, needing a refresher is OK. Explore available courses in your community for an assessment.
• Renew your license as required. Doing this allows you to test key aspects of your health associated with driving. License renewal includes an eye test and potentially a written exam or road test.
OHS also offers advice for caregivers who are beginning to worry about a loved one operating a vehicle:
• Propose an agreement early on. Get the whole family to agree on what happens whe•n driving becomes a safety issue and make sure to involve the aging driver. This will bring ease to the situation once the time comes.
• Pay attention. Be aware of what you see and hear from others so that you can act when necessary.
• Act with kindness. Make sure you approach this situation in a helpful manner. Focus on the change in driving skills, not age.
• Request a re-examination. If safety becomes an issue, consider asking the DMV for a re-examination of the driver’s skill level.
To further assist individuals in evaluating their driving, a DMV self-assessment is now available online at ohs.delaware.gov.
