Study: Older drivers not engaged with family on safe driving discussions

As drivers get older, they may not be fit to get behind the wheel for much longer. Their reaction time will slow down over the years — presenting risks to themselves and others on the road  — and loss of vision or other physical ailments may be cause for concern.

Family members are often involved in determining whether older family members should continue to drive. But the conversations are not happening as frequently as one might expect.

According to the AAA LongROAD study, using data from the Longitudinal Research on Aging Drivers (LongROAD), which presents findings on conversations with family about safe driving as reported by 2,990 drivers age 65-79 in five states, along with the reasons for the discussions, 82.7% of aging drivers had not spoken with either a family member or physician about driving safety.

Related: Senior drivers: When is it time to give up the keys?

Key findings

• A majority of family conversations (60.6%) about driving safety are initiated by family members. The most commonly cited reasons were driving safety concern (64.8%), a health issue (22.3%) driving infraction or crash (15.3%) and planning for the future (6.8%).
• Only 2.2% of study participants indicated in the past year someone suggested they limit their driving.
• A little over 14% of aging drivers had spoken with a family member at some point in the past about their driving safety, while 5.5% had spoken with a physician.
• Conversations with family members were significantly more common for those age 75-79 (17.5%, versus 13.2% among younger age groups) and among men (15.9%, versus 12.8% among women).

Related: You’re covered: Personal auto policy revisions

Time for a talk? Not for some drivers

Compared with drivers who had discussed their driving with family, those who had not had discussions rated their ability higher and their driving comfort higher. Those who had not discussed driving with families also reported having significantly fewer lapses, errors and violations.

While some older drivers may not feel a discussion on their driving ability is warranted, being proactive with driver safety is never a bad idea. Rather than deal with increased premiums, claims, time in court and much more, families should consider when is the best time to approach an aging family member about getting behind the wheel.

Related: 10 car brands purchased by youngest and oldest drivers