The number of elderly drivers on the road is projected to increase rapidly as baby boomers enter their retirement years. Already, an emphasis is being placed on driver safety in the senior community.

The need for driver-education refresher courses among seniors is strong, says Monica Zhang, community center manager at Rockwood Retirement Communities South Hill.

"Average age of our folks is 80, and we have a number of residents who continue to drive into their 90s," she says.

Ron Turner, a retired educator who teaches AARP driver safety courses at retirement communities throughout the Spokane area, says the organization's data shows that the accident rate for people 75 years old and older is dramatically higher than that for younger seniors.

Turner is one of six volunteers with AARP who teaches the driver's safety classes, which are one-day, eight-hour sessions aimed at educating seniors about the effects aging has on driving and ways to adjust for those changes.

He concedes that convincing people who have driven their entire lives that they should take a driver-education class can be a tough sell. However, most insurance companies offer discounts to seniors who take the classes, which entices many people to participate. He says a class typically costs $12 for AARP members, and the insurance rate discount typically equates to savings of $50 to $200 over two years.

When talking about the effects of aging on driving abilities, Turner says one of the first topics he covers is the importance of seniors remaining physically active so they can maintain the level of fitness needed to drive.

"It's that dexterity that's important," he says.

In addition, he says, it's important to stay aware of hearing loss and vision deterioration that occurs with age. In some cases, depth perception becomes compromised with age, which can make it difficult for an elderly driver to determine whether, for example, there's enough time to make a left-hand turn or enough room to merge into traffic. Failure to yield during left turns is the most common cause of accidents involving seniors, he says, and vision issues can contribute to that.

Turner says seniors also must be mindful of influences of medication on driving. In addition to prescription drugs, herbal supplements and over-the-counter medications can have an effect.

"When you mix them, that's when you can really have the challenge," Turner says. "That is discussed in depth."

Turner says there comes a time for most seniors when they need to consider whether they should stop driving, a decision that isn't easily made.

AARP literature says signs that it's time to stop driving include going much too slow or too fast for conditions, hitting curbs or other objects, and having delayed responses to unexpected situations.

If a younger relative has noticed a decline in driving ability in an older relative, he or she could broach the topic by outlining other forms of transportation that are available and asking the individual to consider those options. Arranging so that a trusted police officer or physician talks to the person might be a suitable option as well.

Regardless of the approach, he says, "It needs to be something that's gentle."

In some cases, however, a senior is aware of the fact that it's time to stop driving and makes the decision independently.

Turner says one senior he spoke with at a retirement home recently told him that he made the decision to stop driving because he "just didn't feel safe anymore."

Turner says his aunt, who is in her 80s, recently gave her car to a taxi driver under the condition that he would take her where she needed to go free of charge.

Turner says he talked to that aunt recently "and she said, 'You know, I think I got the better end of that deal.'"

Dementia and driving

Mark M. Havens, interim executive director for the Inland Northwest chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, says that disease ultimately can lead to the need to stop driving, but a diagnosis alone isn't reason enough to do so.

Generally, the physical act of driving isn't a problem for people with Alzheimer's disease, Havens says, because long-term memory is retained. In other words, disease sufferers remember how to drive a car.

The problems come in, Havens says, when a person begins to experience geographic disorientation and struggles to get from one place to another.

"They can get lost driving to places that are very familiar to them, including driving back to their own home," he says.

The other factors that affect the driving ability of those who have Alzheimer's disease are similar to those that affect some elderly people who don't have the disease. Alzheimer's disease can affect vision, specifically peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to distinguish color.

Also, he says, the ability to process information quickly lessens, and the task can become somewhat overwhelming.

"All of those things make driving problematic," Havens says.

The general trend with Alzheimer's disease is that it's being diagnosed earlier, while people still have the ability to function as they normally would. Also, younger onset diagnoses, which involve identifying the disease in people who are younger than 65 years old, is becoming more common.

"They're younger," Havens says. "They're usually working. They want to drive."

At this point, Havens says, Alzheimer's disease is irreversible, and eventually, everybody who is diagnosed with the disease will have to stop driving.

Consequently, a person in the early stages of the disease can plan in advance for when it comes times to stop driving.

"They just need to make some accommodations like a lot of elderly people do," Havens says.

He adds, "It's best for families to have this conversation well in advance and to make sure there are alternative transportation options when that day comes."