Prime Time

POSTED: Monday, May. 18, 2009

Hanging up the gloves ... Early planning can ease the shift to life without a car

At age 91, Bellingham resident Ruth Glaser was already considering giving up driving when, in October 2008, she drove her car into a ditch at Sehome Village shopping center.

"I was turning south out of the Sehome parking lot and there is no edge to the road there," she says. "One wheel went off the concrete and down I went in to the muddy ditch."

Symptoms associated with advancing age include vision and hearing loss, limited mobility and slower reaction times. Those same symptoms, along with other variables, can hinder senior citizens' performance on the road, increasing their risk of traffic tickets and accidents.

In Whatcom County, more than 1,800 drivers are over the age of 65. Nationwide, about one-in-seven drivers fall into that age category.

"This figure is expected to rise significantly in the years ahead, increasing the need for attention to safety on the road," says AARP spokesman Jason Erskine. "By the time that the last of the baby boomers turn 65 years old in 2029, about one-in-four drivers will be age 65 or older."

That means millions more older drivers on the road, and millions more deciding when they should find other ways to get around.

For Glaser, the decision to give up driving wasn't difficult. Soon after her accident, she received notice in the mail to renew her driver's license for the next five years.

"I knew I didn't have to worry about that, so I promptly tore it up and threw it in the garbage," she says. "I had decided, after that accident, that I needed to stop driving then and there, before I got into a real accident or hurt someone."

HANGING UP THE DRIVING GLOVES

At what age a senior citizen gives up driving is entirely dependent on the individual driver, says AARP district coordinator Wayne Haggen, who is 76 and still driving.

"It simply isn't a blanket decision," he says.

According to a 2008 study of older drivers by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, crash deaths among drivers 70 and older fell 21 percent in recent years, even as the population of people 70 and older rose 10 percent.

Despite those statistics, Maureen Kane, supervisor of Whatcom County's Senior Information and Assistance Program, says it's a common misconception that seniors are involved in more accidents, when in fact they are no more likely to cause accidents than other drivers.

Kane says many aging drivers are simply cutting back and opting to not drive at night, near heavily trafficked areas or during busy times, including rush hour.

According to the institute's study, seniors limit their crash risk by avoiding common hazards and by driving less. Such measures are helping to reduce crash-related fatalities among elderly drivers.

Still, seniors will eventually turn over their keys and stop driving altogether, and that's when good planning and a bit of creativity come into play, Kane says.

"The most important thing is to have a plan," she says. "Giving up driving doesn't necessarily have to be an all-or-nothing kind of deal. If one can give up driving gradually, then that is generally the best way to go about it."

COMMUNITY ALTERNATIVES

Glaser has no shortage of options available. In March, she returned from a weeklong cruise off the Florida coast. Despite travel complications, including cancelled and delayed flights, she had no difficulty finding quick and reliable transportation to and from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

"It was so easy," she says. "All you have to do is take a taxi to the drop point and catch the train, Greyhound bus or the Airporter Shuttle."

Tackling public transportation can be difficult for first-time riders, especially senior citizens who aren't accustomed to the routes. Glaser first attempted a ride aboard the Whatcom Transportation Authority fixed-route buses as a personal challenge. Later, she began taking longer trips and using public transportation to travel to Anacortes and to Sea-Tac.

Maureen McCarthy, WTA spokeswoman, says older residents in Whatcom County are using fixed-route and specialized transport buses for everything from doctor visits to shopping trips. There can be stress associated with navigating first-time bus trips and multiple transfers, but the transit agency's customer-service representatives gladly help callers negotiate common complications facing older riders, McCarthy says.

"Start with easy trips, like one that isn't particularly constrained by time, or where you don't have to carry heavy things along with you," she says. "Then move on to more difficult ones."

Taxi rides are another convenient way to supplement one's transportation needs.

"The yearly cost of a taxi, for me, is much cheaper than what it costs to maintain a car," Glaser says.

Deb Logan, Yellow Cab operations manager for Whatcom and Skagit counties, says the taxi company routinely receives inquiries about the range of services available to older riders. With a $100 deposit, Logan says, family members can create personal accounts for their loved-ones.

"We carry all their information in our system and you can add money to the account as needed, eliminating your loved-one's need to use cash when they ride," she says. "We've found this is really convenient for children who are worried about elderly parents who might not have access to quick and reliable transportation."

Like riding the bus, taking a cab has its challenges. Long wait times and expensive trips can dissuade potential riders.

While cab service is one of the more expensive alternate means of transportation, Logan suggests using a cab in conjunction with WTA buses and specialized transportation. Senior riders are eligible for a 10 percent discount on cash rides, and sharing trips with friends and family members can cut the cost.

"If people living in senior facilities learn to group their rides, if they all go to the grocery store at the same time, they could save money that way," Logan says.

INCREASE SAFETY WHILE CUTTING COSTS

Seniors on fixed incomes feel the pinch of rising costs for gas, health care, car insurance and household utilities. Haggen says those costs - combined with the dwindling savings and retirement portfolios due to the economic crisis - will discourage some seniors from keeping their vehicles.

"Some simply cannot afford it with the way things are today," he says.

For seniors who can afford to keep driving, AARP offers a driver's safety refresher course. The course teaches drivers to evaluate their current abilities, learn compensation techniques to accommodate for aging, and increase their safety while on the road.

"Age-related changes - such as impaired vision, medications, slower reflexes and response times - can affect your driving skills," Erskine says. "The course offers simple techniques that can help you retain your driving skills longer so that you can remain mobile and independent as you age. We urge people to consider taking a refresher course to help them stay safe on the road."

Drivers in the course learn how to minimize blind spots, change lanes safely, make turns at intersections and maintain a safe following distance. Ninety-five percent of the drivers who complete the course report a positive change in their driving behavior, Erskine says.

"The course was very helpful for me," Glaser says. "It taught me how to avoid making left-hand turns, which can be difficult for seniors, and how to steer clear of some of the worst places to drive in town."

Glaser, who routinely attended the AARP course every two years for a discount on her car insurance, says the skills she learned allowed her to maintain her independence well into her 80s.

AARP members and non-members 55 and older who complete the course receive a certificate qualifying them for up to a 10 percent discount on car insurance, depending on their carrier.

"It can be a great way to reduce your costs while also increasing your safety on the road," Haggen says.

MAINTAIN AFFORDABLE INDEPENDENCE

A newer transportation alternative is Community Car Share of Bellingham, a membership cooperative that loans cars to participants on an as-needed basis.

"This is just one more way to link different modes of transportation in Bellingham," says Natasha Yeary, general manager. "The program is a great option for people with disabilities, or seniors, because, generally, you find senior drivers are now scaling back in how much money they are spending, whether just cutting back their driving time or selling their car altogether."

The program currently has 38 active members. Two members are older drivers, including Bellingham resident Penny Cowan, 68.

Cowan prefers walking, but swears by the program as a reliable and affordable option.

"I no longer need a car every day, or every month, for that matter," she says.

While transportation options are in no shortage in Bellingham, there are still gaps in service that can create difficulties for senior citizens adjusting to life without a car.

"Car sharing is just one more way to fill in those gaps," Yeary says. "For seniors that are taking the bus, this is an excellent way for them to create linkages with different modes of transportation."

Another option is available through the Whatcom Volunteer Center's Volunteer Chore Program. The program currently services 200 low-income seniors and adults with disabilities by providing free volunteer rides to grocery stores and medical appointments.

Director Aly Hoover says the program aims to provide service where none currently exist.

"Some county residents, in order to get to the nearest doctor's appointment, have to get on the bus at, say, 6 a.m. They arrive an hour before their appointment time, have another long wait for the city bus, and generally will return home at five or six in the evening," Hoover says. "That is a very long trip for someone who is sick and needs to go to the doctor."

FEELINGS AND FAMILY

For many seniors, the mere thought of no longer driving can spur feelings of dependence and isolation.

"When you can no longer drive, you begin to feel a profound loss of control," Glaser says. "Now, you have to plan everything ahead very carefully."

Kane, of the Senior Information and Assistance Program, says communication is the most important component when an aging parent or loved-one begins to show signs of deteriorating abilities.

"Have some frank discussions on where you are now and where you can be in the future," she says.

Talking to a family doctor is also important. Many seniors suffer from common illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes, and medications for such diseases can impair one's ability to drive, Kane says.

Making simple changes to prescription medications, and optimizing your vehicle for safety and easier mobility, might enable some seniors, like Glaser, to keep safely driving well into their 80s.

"We encourage families to speak openly and early," Erskine says. "Driving is about more than transportation; it can be a symbol of independence and freedom."

"Having frank conversations about driver safety early on - well before it becomes a problem - can reinforce safe practices without the strain of asking the parent to curtail or stop driving."

Glaser says the feelings of dependency are always challenging and, like most life transitions, giving up driving can be difficult.

"It still feels like the pits," she says. "But, as always in life, we have a choice."

"Either wallow in self-pity or search out other options. It is that simple."

Lindsay Hamsik is a Bellingham freelance writer.