Though many seniors voluntarily limit their driving or change their driving practices when they notice warning signs of impaired mobility, others may be reluctant to give up driving completely, potentially putting themselves and others on the road in danger. In this case, it is often up to the caregiver to step in. Some state DMVs have specific licensing standards for senior drivers, but many states do not.
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If appropriate and necessary evaluations and recommendations have been made and no amount of discussion can convince the senior to give up the keys, you, a family physician, or a police officer can file an “unsafe driver” report to your state’s DMV. Be prepared to give a detailed account of why you think the driver may be deemed unsafe, including any of his or her vision, hearing, or other medical information. Note that under privacy laws, a physician must have a patient’s permission to share personal health information, so consider getting a medical Power of Attorney to access this information. If your claim is approved, the DMV will then contact the driver and request a series of vision and hearing evaluations and administer a driving aptitude test. Depending on these results, the DMV may impose driving restrictions or revoke his or her license completely.
In more severe cases, where the senior’s cognitive problems inhibit them from understanding the danger he or she poses, some caretakers resort to confiscating the car keys or selling or disabling the car.
To learn more about senior driving regulations in your state, contact your state’s DMV. Click your state below to visit your DMV's website.
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