This booklet is to help you reflect on your driving abilities and ensure you continue to drive safely. Taking time to continually assess your fitness to drive is an important step in ensuring the safety of yourself, your passengers and other road users.

Valid for all ages, this becomes more important as we get older.
The solutions may be as simple as:

• Getting a new pair of glasses and doing mobility exercises.
• Reading the latest version of the highway code.
• Choosing to go on a speed awareness course instead of accepting the points on your license. The courses are well run, and many people are surprised by how much they learn.
• Arranging for someone knowledgeable to see you drive. You may be pleasantly surprised by how helpful it is and how much peace of mind a refresher driving session can give.

You can download a PDF version of this information by clicking here.

If you need some printed copies of the booklet in A5 format, please contact [email protected]

Contents

(Click on individual chapters from the list – or simply scroll down)

Introduction – Staying Safe and Capable
Vision
Hearing
Reaction Times
Medication and Health Conditions
Concentration & Awareness
Blue Badge
Memory Loss
Some Cars Are Easier to Drive
Stay Safe and Legal on Every Journey
How You Drive
Volunteer Drivers
Where to Find Driver Refresher Training or Assessment
Alternatives to Driving?
Advantages of Not Driving?
Thank You

We all have a duty of care, as drivers, to our passengers and all other road users, to drive safely within the law. Ongoing self-assessment of our abilities as drivers is a vital part of the process to achieve this aim. Here are some questions to help your thinking:

• Do junctions confuse you?
• Does driving (and what other drivers do) make you angry?
• Are gaps in the traffic harder to judge?
• Do other drivers hoot at you?
• Does everyone else drive too fast?
• Do vehicles appear to come from nowhere?
• Have you recently had a speeding ticket or an accident?
• Have family or friends expressed concern about your driving?
• Do people find reasons not to drive with you?
• Do your passengers “hit the brakes” before you do?
• Are you limiting your driving? E.g. not at night, in the wet, avoiding motorways or busy town centres?
• Does your car spend much more time parked than being driven?

Good vision is essential for safe driving, helping you read road signs, judge distances, and react appropriately to hazards. It is also a legal requirement to meet the minimum standard.

Self-assessment test:

• Can you read a rear number plate from 20 metres away in good daylight? For example, look along a line of parked cars and try to read the number plate of the 6th vehicle.
• Can you go outside in bright light and see clearly right away?
• Do you struggle to see clearly in low-light conditions or when facing glare?
• Are you confident driving at night?
• Have you noticed difficulty recognising road signs from a distance?
• Do you rely on knowing where you are going and then miss diversion signs?
• Do you experience frequent eye strain or headaches when driving?

Good hearing allows you to detect emergency sirens, honking horns, and other important auditory cues while driving.

Self-assessment test:

• Do you find it difficult to hear sirens or horns when driving?
• Do passengers need to repeat themselves frequently when speaking to you?
• Have you experienced ringing in your ears or difficulty distinguishing sounds?
• Do you leave the indicators on by mistake?

Appropriate reaction times help you respond to sudden hazards and maintain full control of your vehicle.

Self-assessment test:

• Are you slow to react to sudden changes, such as a car stopping in front of you?
• Do other cars come out of nowhere or seem to be suddenly overtaking?

Certain medications and health conditions can affect your ability
to drive safely. It is an unfortunate reality that many of these
affect us more the older we are and can sometimes creep up on
us without realising.

Self-assessment test:

• Are you taking any medications that may cause drowsiness or
  dizziness?
• Have you recently changed your medication? You may not
  immediately link a change in your concentration to a change of
  dose or modification to your prescription(s).
• Do you experience sudden blackouts, confusion, or dizziness
  while driving?
• Have you been advised by a doctor to limit or stop driving due
  to health conditions?

Maintaining focus on the road helps prevent accidents and ensures you can react to unexpected situations.

Self-assessment test:

• Do you find yourself being distracted when talking with your
  passenger or when you use your mobile phone in hands-free
  mode?
• Have you ever missed a turn or stop sign because you were not
  paying full attention?
• Do you feel mentally exhausted after driving?
• Do you find large roundabouts or junctions harder to use?
• Do you find it harder to judge other cars’ speed and distance?

If you can drive, but struggle to walk at your destination, consider
applying for a Blue Badge to help with your parking.
Please go to gov.uk and search for ‘Blue Badge’.

Although driving can feel automatic, especially if you have done it for a long time, it is complicated and memory loss can affect skills like concentration, reaction times and spatial skills which can impact on how safe it is for you to drive.

Self-assessment test:

• Do you feel that your driving and reactions to ensure safety have slowed?
• Do you struggle to understand road signs and directions or are you becoming lost on familiar journeys?
• Have other people, such as your family and friends, started to raise concerns about your driving?

You may benefit from getting a car that is easier to drive and/or get in and out of. Look for:

• An easy drive, with simple and easy-to-reach controls.
• Easy access such as wider door openings.

You (the driver)

• Are you fit and well and not so tired you are unsafe to drive?
• Be cautious of drinking alcohol the night before driving. As we age, alcohol takes longer to leave our bloodstream, so it might be midday before you’re legally safe to drive.
• Ensure your driving licence is valid and that your photo card is up to date.

Safe and considerate driving inspires confidence in your passengers and other road users. It reduces wear and tear on you and your vehicle and smooth driving can also save fuel.

• Allow plenty of time for the journey reduces stress on you and your passengers.

Thank you if you are a volunteer driver and if not, please consider offering your services.
Here are some reasons why this might be a good thing for you to consider…

Volunteering is good for you

Volunteers are known to feel healthier and happier. It’s good for your mental health, and a great way to use your skills and be more involved in your community. It’s a great way to meet people in your local community and drivers say what they like most are:

• It is something positive to do with your spare time.
• Meeting fascinating people with stories to tell.
• Feeling they are giving back to their community.
• Having a reason to get out and about.
• Helping people feel happier and well.

• Many local driving instructors offer refresher sessions.
• ROSPA and the Institute of Advanced Drivers (IAM) may have a driving group local to you. ROSPA has excellent advice online including contacts to find out about Refresher Driver Training – Search for ‘ROSPA Mature Drivers’.

This is not always easy, especially if you live rurally. However…

• Research and practice using buses, trains and taxis before you need to.
• Get yourself a bus pass if you are eligible.
• Can you walk or cycle instead of driving?
• Ask if you can share lifts and offer to contribute to the fuel costs.

People who have given up driving often say that they:

• Wish they had done it sooner.

With regular self-assessment, you can continue to drive safely. There comes a time, however, when we should stop and there is no shame in this. There are alternatives to driving which may give you more independence and cause less worry for everyone else.

Devon Memory Cafe Consortium (DMCC)

DMCC is a membership organisation which aims to support memory cafes across Devon to provide a quality service to people living with dementia and their carers.
Website: dmcc.org.uk 

Devon Community Car Forums (DCCF)

DCCF is a membership forum which aims to support Community Car Schemes across Devon who help people, with poor access to transport, get to where they need to be.
Website: devonservices.org.uk/service/devon-access-services