THE WORLD IS ALWAYS CHANGING, and nowhere more so than on our roads. Many drivers who first earned their driver‘s licence in their teens have been driving for decades. In that time, car technology, traffic rules and even the roads themselves have changed, in many cases almost beyond recognition.
Older drivers in particular need to be proactive to ensure they stay safe on the road, even if their reactions and awareness are little changed from when they were younger.
The good news is that most are doing the right thing: wearing their seat belts, obeying the speed limit and even staying off the road when conditions are bad or traffic loads are heavy.
If you, or someone you love, is a driver 50 years or older, here are some important ways to stay safe.
1. Exercise. Okay, we all know exercise is a good way of staving off the inevitable effects of aging, but did you know it can also benefit your driving? Exercise can enhance your flexibility and range of motion. Drivers who exercise regularly are better able to turn their heads to see blind spots when changing lanes or reversing. Exercise enables you to turn your body to a greater extent, allowing you to more efficiently observe your driving environment. Even getting in and out of your car is easier. Exercises you should consider are bicep curls and squats and exercises that increase your flexibility such as back stretches, heel drops, shoulder stretches and exercises to improve your coordination such as rotating leg kicks.
2. Take a driver training course. Even experienced drivers can benefit from a regular refresher course to brush up on their skills. And road rules are constantly changing. There are many advanced and defensive driving courses available around the country.
3. Get the best from your eyes. If you can’t see well, you can’t drive well. From the age of 40, we are all more likely to experience blurred vision, greater difficulty seeing at night and changes in the way we perceive colour. The first step is to make an appointment with an optometrist who, apart from giving you an eye test, can also test for medical conditions such as glaucoma and macular degeneration. When driving, always wear up-to-date prescription glasses or contact lenses, and even if the current fashion is for wide spectacle arms, choose frames with narrow side pieces that don’t interfere with your all-important peripheral vision. Whether or not you need prescription glasses, always wear good quality sunglasses in bright conditions.
4. Maximise your ability to see around your vehicle. Even people with 20/20 vision need to be able to see out of the car and see what’s going on around them. Adjust your seat so that you are at least 30cm (12 inches for those of you still working in imperial measures) from the steering wheel and keep the seat high enough that you can see at least 7cm (three inches) over the top of the steering wheel. Adjust your inside and outside mirrors to minimise blind spots and keep them, and your windows, clean.
If you’d like to learn more about issues affecting older drivers, retirement, health, superannuation, travel and much, much more, subscribe to YourLifeChoices (it’s free) at https://www.yourlifechoices.com.au/ and listen to the podcast (including interviews with seniordriveraus) hosted by Kaye Fallick and John Deeks at https://www.yourlifechoices.com.au/podcasts/mind-your-own-retirement