Retirement from Driving

Ageing is not for the faint of heart, as the saying goes. It is inevitable, however, and we have to adjust to the changes that come with it. One of the most important areas requiring adjustment is driving. Driving is a skill that relies on good health and physical wellbeing; two features that are severely affected by old age.

The good news is that you don’t have to relinquish your car keys just yet. Regular driving assessments and physical check-ups help you make major decisions regarding your driving, for example, will you need to add adaptations to your car, or will you need to suspend driving temporarily until you complete a refresher driving course, or is time to retire from driving.

Let’s look at factors that affect your driving and your options to keep you (and others) safe on the road.

Regular assessments

It’s a good idea to go for a driving assessment everyone one to three years. The older you get, the shorter the gap between assessments. Certain medical conditions, which we shall look at below, also require annual assessments or retiring from driving entirely. The assessments look at your physical health and mental capacity.

You need to provide the DVLA with the results of the assessments, even if the results aren’t favourable. Failure to update the DVLA on your health is a criminal offence. You can be fined up to £1000 and prosecuted if you are involved in a motor vehicle incident as a result of your condition.

Physical check-ups

Even if you are in the pink of health, you should see your doctor and other specialists before you renew your licence to ensure you are still fully capable of driving or if you need to take certain precautions.

Check-ups should include:

  • Pain issues

Do you have painful stiffness in your joints that affects your ability to firmly hold a steering wheel or to turn your head to see not only the road in front of you but to all sides and behind you.

Some pain issues can be managed through simple physical exercises, regular physiotherapy, and medication. Note: You need to make sure that any medication prescribed doesn’t have side-effects that will affect your ability to drive safely.

Adaptions, like a steering ball, can also help if you have weakness in your hands.

  • Vision

Eyesight deteriorates with age; you could get increasingly short-sighted, or your night vision and depth perception can go out the window. The rule is that you need to be able to read a number plate from 20m away. If you can’t, you need to ask your optometrist if there are solutions to your problem. If there aren’t solutions, you will have to retire from driving.

Solutions to some vision problems include Lasik surgery, prescription spectacles, and glare-reducing glasses.

  • Reflexes and reaction times

Even if you have had an unblemished driving record for 50 years, age takes a toll on your reflexive competence and ability to react quickly to situations. This could mean you don’t brake at a safe distance. It could also mean you don’t indicate as you should or even at all.

Modern cars have features that can help with problems like this, for example, brake assist. You could also get adaptations to make your secondary controls (indicators and windscreen wipers) easier to access.

  • Concentration and memory

Most people have short periods when they get lost in thought and their concentration lapses. However, if you lose concentration in other aspects of your life or you lose concentration for long periods of time, or you find that you have to focus all your concentration on just one aspect of driving (keeping within your lane), you should see your GP. A thyroid problem can affect concentration and memory, and this can be corrected with medication.

Note: Ensure the side-effects won’t affect your ability to drive safely.

Lapses in memory can be more problematic, especially if they happen often or for long periods of time. If you can’t remember where you’re going or if you can’t remember the route and get lost regularly, you need to see your GP. It could be thyroid; it could be another condition that can be treated. Or, it could the onset of dementia. In this instance, you’ll have to retire from driving.

Notifiable medical conditions that affect driving include (but aren’t limited to):

  • Arrhythmia
  • Brain aneurysm
  • Diplopia (double vision) and vision in one eye only
  • Epilepsy, especially grand mal seizures
  • Muscular dystrophy
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Spinal problems/injuries
  • Stroke

Your 70th birthday

When you hit 70, the DVLA sends you a specific self-assessment form to renew your licence for three years. You need to be honest about conditions or medication that affect your ability to drive safely.

If you’re hale and healthy at 70 years old but you suffer a setback when you turn 71 years old, it’s your responsibility to inform the DVLA of the change in your condition. The website has different forms for different conditions and circumstances, just complete and submit the one that applies to you.

Depending on the condition the DVLA may require you to surrender your licence temporarily, after which time you can reapply. Unfortunately, you may be required to surrender your licence permanently.

Driving Mobility offers a support service to help you come to terms with your retirement, as well as advice and tips on how to maintain your independence and social activities.