MY GREAT-GRANDPA LEONARD had one leg and drove a big American car with a manual transmission well into his 80s.
How’s that for a “You kids have it so easy these days” tale? It’s true. Leonard drove my aunt and me to school when I was very young — probably 5 or 6 — and we got there unscathed every time.
Grandpa had a shiny old turquoise Ford Galaxy from the early ’60s with plastic on the seats, which I can still smell. He loved driving, loved working on cars, and he logged hundreds of thousands of miles across the U.S. with one leg.
OK, he had a replacement wooden leg to help out. But still.
Leonard drove until he finally went into the ditch at the bottom of our street … twice. To be fair, it was a tight turn in an old neighborhood with no sidewalks and curbs to help keep vehicles on the road. In fact, the shoulder was a very wide, two- or three-feet-deep ditch right off the pavement (I know because 9-year-olds value deep ditches for battle re-enactments). I don’t think he was the only driver to end up down there.
I’ve heard they couldn’t take his keys away after the first time — my grandpa was a determined old guy (the day he died, in his 90s, he took a swing at a nurse, even fighting death on the way out). But motoring down the ditch a second time was the dealbreaker, and he finally gave up the keys.
I think about this because my uncle, Leonard’s son, and I recently reconnected after a few decades. Like his father, my uncle loved driving big American cars and loved working on them.
Or rather, he still does. Because, at 93, he’s still driving. He uses a walker when traveling by foot. But the car is still his car.
My uncle now lives in Texas, and I haven’t been in a car with him in a couple decades, so I can’t speak to his current skills. But he sounds and says he feels great. The man was a very bright Lawrence Livermore Laboratory scientist/technician back in the day and has never been some crazy hell-on-wheels type with reckless judgment. So, he could very well be doing just fine.
When cars are so important to people, older people can understandably be reluctant to give them up. This can be a tough topic for families with older drivers — one that will become a bigger issue as Boomers and Gen Xers age into the twilight years.
When do we take the keys away?
Break it to them gently
AARP says being old isn’t necessarily a reason to give up driving, pointing out older drivers are keeping their licenses longer and putting more miles on their vehicles than ever.
The group says the number of fatal crashes involving 70 and over drivers has declined significantly since the mid-1990s, according to a June 2021 study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
But (you knew a “but” was coming) fatal crash rates per miles traveled still tend to increase considerably among drivers 70 and over. Not surprisingly, they peak at 85 and older, according to IIHS data.
What happens when loved ones lose their skills but won’t let go of the keys? That’s a huge loss of freedom and a subject best dealt with gently.
You could have their doctor approach the subject as a medical issue, AARP suggests. The group also says the deciding factor could be asking oneself whether grandma or grandpa should be driving with the grandkids in the car.
I know what you’re thinking, but the ’70s were different. They also let us ride unharnessed in the back of pickup trucks and high schools had smoking areas. You’ve seen the fashion — the ’70s made no sense.
DMV helps with tests and trainings
Drivers 70 or over must go to the California Department of Motor Vehicles to renew their license in person. That may be the deciding factor. It’s a tough subject and hopefully can be discussed before it becomes an argument.
DMV has a driving skills self-assessment that could be good to test your vintage loved one’s knowledge.
DMV also has a mature driver program, an eight-hour course for drivers 55 years old (ahem) and older. DMV says it covers a range of topics of special interest to mature drivers (not me — I may be 57 but no one mistakes me for a mature anything).
DMV says insurance companies may offer discounts for completing the program. And DMV even gives you a certificate, which you can show the insurance company and is valid for three years. Go to dmv.ca.gov/seniors for more information, including locations near you.
What does a longer lifespan mean to you? Two talented columnists tag-team every Friday to tackle the challenges that inform your choices — whether you’re pushing 17 or 70. Recent Stanford Center on Longevity Visiting Scholar Susan Nash looks at life experiences through an acerbic personal lens, while longtime writer and health reporter Tony Hicks takes the macro view to examine how society will change as the aging population grows ever larger. Check in every Friday to expand your vision of living the long game and send us your feedback, column suggestions and ideas for future coverage to newsroom@baycitynews.com.
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