Driving has become an essential right of the modern world in just about every nation imaginable.
A driver’s chronological age isn’t a good indicator of driving ability. What counts on the road is performance. Here are a few signs of diminished capacity if you have experiences any of these in the past few months maybe you should consider hanging up the keys:
- Suffered a stroke, heart attack or diminished eyesight?
- Experienced difficulty negotiating sharp turns and intersections?
- Hesitated over right-of-way decisions or situations you once took for granted?
- Been surprised by the sudden presence of other vehicles or pedestrians?
- Become lost on familiar routes?
- Felt nervous or exhausted after driving?
- Been unable to read road signs?
- Been cited for traffic violations or found at fault in a crash?
If the answer to any of these questions was yes, it may be time to move from the driver to the passenger seat. Penske Automotive Group would like you avoid having our customers and fans being characters in those crazy stories on the news about people who are too old to be driving themselves around anymore. You know the ones, where they accidentally hit the gas instead of the break and ended up plowing through a street fair, taking out vendors and their wares alike. Or you’ve seen them on the road, driving 10-15 miles per hour under the speed limit, squinting over their steering wheels.
While our society places a premium on the rights of the individual, including the freedom to drive well in old age, the truth is that there is a point at which a person is no longer able to effectively follow the rules of the road, whether because of some infirmity (poor eyesight, for example) or simply because reaction time has slowed.
Getting rid of your car doesn’t mean you can’t get around and remain independent, you just need to know your options. Ride-sharing with friends and relatives, taking public transportation and using special transit services for seniors are all wonderful options. They are also good ways to spend extra time with your loved ones or meet new friends.
