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Despite the age of 70 and above, Australians enjoy the freedom of driving. However, custom and lack of awareness could trigger roadside errors and increase the chances of accidents. While driving within the vicinity of one’s advanced years requires small awareness and adjustments, driving at night and hoarding one’s sweats driving challenges, are frequent errors.
Hoarding Sweats Driving Challenges
To a lot of seniors, the need to drive on the most common streets seems easiest. However, driving specialists explain that such a driving behavior, may increase the chances of a collision. Many older drivers avoid freeways, or new areas choosing their commuting comfort zones, which request lower driving capabilities. Driving routine streets may boost confidence, but anxiety provoking situations may leave the moderate traffic conditions and detours, where seniors are the most vulnerable.
Seniors should try to add new routes and remember, the objective is to arrive to the new destination which could mean slowly driving on secondary and tertiary roads. The road pattern shown over a period of time should prepare the seniors to be able to handle situations such as heavy or detoured traffic. Not only the balance of skills needed for road driving get replenished, but the willingness to be road safe increases.
Driving at Night: An Increasing Challenge
Driving at night is a greater challenge for many people who are 70 years of age or older. Due to age-related changes to one’s eyesight, the glare from headlights or streetlights is much more difficult to see. This ‘glare’ is more difficult to see, which leads to a greater discomfort and a greater disorientation, as well as lowered levels of the reaction time.
Doctors recommend avoiding long night drives for older adults. There are some options, such as altering one’s position on the car to avoid glare, which is known as the ‘headlights glare’, which can reduce the risk of driving. For older passenger and drivers, ‘anti-glare’ glasses can increase confidence and reduce discomfort at night.
Small Changes, Large Outcomes
For older adults, driving can be a bit more manageable, is to take a practical driving lesson and a few changes in lifestyle and habits. There are driving tests and more advanced road signs, road rules, and regulations, which can be completed as ‘online refreshers’ as a basic theory and practical driving course. Along with medical assessments focusing on eyesight and vision, these ideas can reduce the amount of road accidents.
For older adults above 70 years old, these medical assessments are necessary and more frequent. Arthritis, diabetes as well as the side effects of medication can reduce the level of focus and movement, which ends up less coordination. It is a standard procedure to state that older drivers must have a medical certificate. However, these are often additionals, such as optional medical assessments, which are extremely beneficial.
Independence and safety
Many seniors view driving as more than a means of transportation; it is the ability to keep social and active. Experts in road safety stress that being able to maintain road safety does not mean giving up driving. Instead, specific instruction and precautions permit a number of the elderly in Australia to drive safely and with confidence.
Within the right regulation and with the intention to change driving behaviors, elderly people can eliminate some of the more standard errors and retain driving well into their old age.