Driving over 70

Thank you. I have been involved in the lives of others due to OH’s situation and know how random and distressing it can be. There are areas where OH is extremely affected and others where he’s unaffected, but the Docs say that is quite usual which is why blanket restrictions aren’t helpful.

You and your husband have my sympathy - Alzheimer's is an incredibly difficult illness for the person themselves and those close to them. You are in a quite unusual situation of being able to negotiate and discuss these early stages and prognosis while your husband is aware of the diagnosis. Most people, like my DF, are already so affected by time of diagnosis that they simply don't recall that diagnosis. I have met one man who was diagnosed early - I think also due to a medical trial or some other investigation - and for a time he was able to advise people of his diagnosis, and warn that he might forget things, including that conversation. Sadly, he lost that insight and actually his early self-awareness possibly made the middle stages a bit more challenging, certainly for those around him but not close family.

I think it would be useful to look at how other countries handle their driving rules/laws.

Mandatory ‘Black Boxes’ for everyone ? No new young drivers carrying young passengers for X time ? (New Zealand ?) There could be many low or no cost initiatives.

Mandatory retesting in the current climate would be unworkable. I wonder how the Disqualified Drivers who are mandated to take enhanced tests fare nowadays…. The trouble is most of them are in that position due to not giving a flying fig about the laws anyway. 🙄

Maybe I should ignore responses to my posts about OH’s Alzheimer’s because they are detracting from the over 70s sight test issue but there’s something in me which drives me on to reply.

Every Alzheimer's sufferer is unique; there are often similarities but every pathway and timeline is different. The multiple tests and scans he has tell the doctors a lot about his condition and its anticipated progress. In my opinion, they are the experts and if I didn’t take their advice it would probably be a waste of OH’s and my time attending all the appointments and OH going through all the tests and scans. He doesn’t do the MRI and PET scans for the fun of it.

I honestly don’t think I’m being disingenuous about the risks; shall I raise you concerns at OH’s next appointment with the people who are monitoring him and advising me ?

Thank you for acknowledging the difference between can’t drive and doesn’t drive.

The 17-25 year olds may need something different to the over 70's, but it isn't more eyesight checking.

I'd be interested to know, seeing as you say the licence age should be 30 and restrictions until 40 - when did you start driving?

Lets hope his eyesight doesn't deteriorate then eh? Because other peoples safety is a little more important than you 'being stuck' eh?

I am in my 70s and my eyesight
has not changed either , the age group that need checking more are the 17 to 25 year old who kill people , l think the Driving licence age should be 30 , then learners and those who have passed until 40 only drive a 750 engine or electric equivalent let's save lives , plus a special bus drivers licence for suv drivers

Your personal experience doesn’t negate the fact that eyesight typically deteriorates with age. It’s just a fact.

Over 70 here. My distance eyesight, most important for driving, is actually improving with age. I do get a thorough eye test every year and wear the correct glasses.

Thanks, you are obviously more knowledgeable than me. I think we are saying the same thing but as always on Mumset attempting a brief answer leaves out the nuances. Obviously eyesight isn't the only factor. I have been through this with four elderly family members who had to temporarily/permanently stop driving, for different reasons.
I suppose I should have said "severe glaucoma etc" as that's what I meant, but those are age-prevalent conditions.

You are right of course that there are multiple factors any or all of which could make a person unfit to drive.

Your DH's situation is very unusual then, in that he seems to have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's at a very early stage - when he is still minimally affected by the illness. That said, he could decline unexpectedly quickly in some aspects, and I wouldn't be prepared to travel in a car with someone who was at higher risk of that kind of decline. As an example, before my DF was diagnosed with Alzheimer's he suddenly forgot that he'd been living in a bungalow for over 20 years, and spend over an hour while my DM was out looking for the stairs so he could go to bed. He was very upset about this but otherwise no harm done. That kind of sudden and sharp decline could be dangerous if it happened while driving.

And there's obviously a difference between someone who can drive but doesn't and someone who cannot drive. The latter is more likely to be oblivious to a driver's lack of capacity, the former less so.

You seem to be being deliberately disingenuous when it comes to the potential risks of people with Alzheimer's or dementia continuing to drive.

Yes, but your previous post said

‘Glases don’t work for people with glaucoma, cataracts or macular degeneration, and those are all more common in older age groups.’

which is just not true

Refractive error and ocular pathology aren’t mutually exclusive. People with these conditions may well find that glasses correct their vision to driving standard- which means that glasses do work for them. Not all of them granted but for a significant majority.

In the older (>80’s) population the problem is more the person as a whole. Often times people think that good eyesight is the be all that ends all and fail to
consider their reaction times/cognition etc

Thank you 😊

I've said I don't drive, not I can't.

But according to some lovely I'm too old anyway ! 🤣

They can only drive if the conditions aren't yet severe and they pass the vision test. Many people have one of these conditions as well as needing glasses for shortsightedness. but glasses can't correct limited field of vision or clouding.

The whole problem of this thread is people who wouldn't pass the vision test if they took it, but are nevertheless still driving.

Not a driving wind up, l swear , all the best to you.and hubby , my wife passed in March from that she had it for 18 years my very best to you and familly. I see you don't drive , could you learn it helps so much . My heart ,prayers,go out to you

My apologies – serves me right for trying to respond to two people almost simultaneously on the same subject.

You called me a non-driver which is different from me saying I don’t drive.

You said I’ve told you he drives slowly; I said he drives about 10% slower now because he is aware his reactions are slower than when he was younger. I think more older drivers would be well advised to do the same instead of feeling they are still as sharp as they were 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago.

As for the rest I think I’ll continue to work with and take advice from medical professionals rather than someone on an internet forum but thanks for your interest.

Well done OP. I was almost in an accident a couple of years ago when doing 55mph on a straight road with great visibility. Saw someone pull up to the junction and automatically slowed a bit but they didn't stop at the junction and just pulled out a really short distance in front of me. I had to swerve onto the wrong side of the road to avoid him and ended up a good distance ahead before I could stop. He just carried on without a glance. I genuinely think he had no idea I was there. Had there been someone coming the other way it could very easily been a fatal accident. I actually think he was so oblivious I'd suspect dementia rather than eyesight. But either way I agree our competence to drive should be retested very regularly over 70. Even TBH before that, judging by some of the other terrible driving I see!

Your 'non-question' was aimed at me, you seem to have lost track of who you're talking to about what.

I don't know how you, a non-driver, would be any help at all if his condition suddenly changes on the road, and it might all be too late by then anyway, if an accident is the first indication.

It's the combination of his age and his Alzheimer's that's the problem here. Slow reaction time - which you've acknowledged by telling us he drives slowly - combined with the unpredictability of cognitive decline.

I think you’re right! There’s no way they can correct these conditions.,

Of course they do.
Thousands of people
with these conditions are legal to drive and they need their glasses to ensure they meet the driving standards.

Ah that's what optician's are for and they find people with bad eyes that's the idea ,many cyclist are half blind but these are not checked,they will be which is good it will be nice not to get run over by a bike in pedestrian zones

Glases don’t work for people with glaucoma, cataracts or macular degeneration, and those are all more common in older age groups.

Disclaimer - haven't read the whole thread but the legal standard of vision for driving isn't 6/6 ( 20/20 is American, and not how vision is measured over here.)
The legal standard is 6/12 ( so worse than 6/6) a numberplate at 20 m and a good field of vision (the details of this bit are in the regulations), and if you can't meet that standard you are not legal to drive, and should be telling DVLA.
The problem is the people who don't know they can't see and the ones who don't care obviously.

@mintydoggyv the glasses ARE the correction, for most people.

I mean obviously it is not great people with poor eyesight driving.

But I do wonder sometimes when people claim eyesight is bad how bad it really is.

To me it feels as if someones eyesight really is that bad they should having accidents every 5 minutes and have insurance costs through the roof.