Seniors on the Road Offered Some Advice

The lure of the open road, low fuel prices and discounts at accommodations and attractions are drawing mature and senior travelers to the nation’s highways in record numbers this summer.

Statistics show that not only do mature travelers make more auto tours than younger age groups, they also go farther and spend more time on the road.

All this is well and good, but mature drivers should recognize one important fact--as far as driving ability goes, they have been on a downhill slide since age 45.

Nothing critical. Just a lot of physical and mental changes that effect reaction timing, depth perception, body flexibility, hearing, that sort of thing.

Age-Related Problems

These and other age-related problems happen gradually and, of course, not all at the same time. When they do, they don’t happen to the same degree to every driver. But--and several national safety studies prove it--they can combine to lessen the mature driver’s motoring abilities.

On the plus side, the many years of driving experience and maturity in general can compensate a good deal for age-related deficiencies. The important thing is to recognize--and admit--that these changes occur and to take steps to neutralize them.

Here, drawn from national reports and surveys from the American Automobile Assn., Highway Safety Institute and Hartford Insurance, are what changes the mature driver should watch for and how to cope with them:

Reaction time, reflexes: Most mature drivers will admit that they are slightly slower and generally use their years of experience to avoid getting into situations that require quick reflexes.

This includes watching speed closely, since the very nature of motor touring takes you into unfamiliar areas, different type roads, and possibly different signs, traffic lights and signals. Choose your route carefully, avoiding peak traffic times and congested and high-speed highways. The best way to avoid having to use quick reflexes on the highway is to anticipate the situations that create them and avoid them through route planning, time of day and speed control.

Field of View

Vision, night driving: Having good glasses and the ability to see as well as you did when younger is not enough. Mature drivers should be aware that their field of view is often reduced greatly in peripheral fields, that depth of field is likewise reduced, and reduced flexibility of the neck and upper body can create blind spots.

In addition to having good glasses and frequent eye checks, develop the habit of scanning right and left across the highway in front rather than focusing dead ahead.

Night driving is critical. Most people age 60 need more than twice as much light as do 20-year-olds to see a clear picture of an object; they have less tolerance for bright lights (such as oncoming headlights) and, typically, a 55-year-old takes eight times as long to recover from glare as does a teen-ager.

The easiest solution is to avoid night driving as much as possible. If that cannot be done, make sure you allow plenty of time to let your eyes adapt to night driving before getting behind the wheel; use your high beams as much as possible without creating havoc with oncoming traffic; make sure your headlights are aimed properly and keep them clean; don’t smoke, and watch your speed so you don’t “overdrive” your headlights.

Avoid oncoming glare from cars by watching the side markers on the right rather than the oncoming car; if cars in back bother you, adjust the rear-view mirror to the night position.

Flexibility, movement limitation: Stiff joints, weak muscles, arthritis and other reduced body movements come with age and are compounded by long hours of driving.

Make frequent stops, at least one every two hours or less. Drive in comfort. Adjust seat distance and position to avoid being cramped in one position.

Above all, mature drivers should take care in trip planning. They might have been able to drive 500 miles a day a few years ago, but no longer. Mature drivers should think more in the 300- to 400-mile range.

Plan in Hours

Rather than plan in terms of miles, plan in hours. Four to six hours of driving in any one day is plenty for a mature traveler. That could be 300 to 400 miles, but a lot depends on the type of driving. Again, route planning is the key. Choose a route that suits your driving style and do your planning for the number of hours on the road, not the amount of miles traveled. It may cut down on the length of your trip in distance covered or add to your overall time on the road, but it’s a much safer guideline.

Stop early and avoid dusk or night driving. Reserve your motel or hotel in advance and, should you arriver earlier than planned, avoid the temptation to add a few miles. Stop, relax, get a good night’s rest and an earlier start the next day when fresher.

Medications: Many mature travelers take medication of some sort for chronic as well as brief illnesses or discomfort. It is documented that the effect of medications, both prescription as well as non-prescription has a key effect on the driving habits of the mature and senior traveler.

Follow the instructions of your doctor and the medicine itself very carefully. If it says don’t drive, then don’t. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about side effects of the drugs or medicine you may be taking and if you are taking more than one type drug or medicine, make sure you tell them. Combinations of medicines can produce unpredictable and strong side effects.

If you are taking any type of medication, be aware that mixing even small amounts of alcohol--a lunchtime beer, wine or cocktail with dinner--can be very dangerous.