TV Show Puts Up Caution Signs for ‘Mature’ Drivers

Driving, in Southern California, is our ticket to freedom.

We think nothing of spanning three cities just to get to a restaurant. On a short lunch hour, we can still run an errand at the mall 10 miles away by taking the freeway. I used to work with a fellow who commuted daily to Costa Mesa from Victorville.

We’re a people on the go, thanks to our wheels.

But what happens when the brain says, “Hit it,” and the muscles say, “Not so fast”? Because driving is such a symbol of independence, are any of us ready to admit it when our age affects our ability to function behind the wheel? Perhaps one of the cruelest realities of aging is facing the day when you should not drive at all.

The White House Conference on Aging reports that by 2000, 28% of the driving population will be older than 55. That figure will grow to 40% during the next 50 years.

True, some in their 80s are good drivers. But some who reach their senior years do not drive so well, especially on the freeway, where decisions have to be made quickly.

KOCE-TV, the public TV station based in Huntington Beach, is running a program Sunday at 3 p.m. called “A Driving Need.” It’s a half-hour guide for what it calls “mature drivers.” I’m guessing that means if your gray hair is turning white and your bones ache when you first get up in the morning.

The program isn’t trying to push the elderly into giving up their wheels. It just wants them to face the reality that age sometimes means adjustments. Here’s part of the checklist from the program to help you determine whether age is becoming a factor in your driving:

* Does it seem more and more difficult to focus attention behind the wheel?

* Have you started worrying that there are too many cars on the road and too many things to remember?

* Would you rather have family or friends do the driving?

* Have you noticed that family or friends would prefer not to be passengers when you drive?

* Are you afraid to confide a physical impairment to someone for fear you will lose your license or your driving will be restricted?

Some of the program’s suggestions for age-related adjustments are common sense: Have your eyes and hearing checked, take regular physicals. But others might not readily occur to you.

For example, the program recommends that you schedule your driving trips around any medication you’re taking. And be especially careful about mixing medication with alcohol if you plan to drive. The program also warns that elderly people sometimes get upset emotionally, which can affect their motor skills. Age can mean loss of peripheral vision; use more head movement while driving if that’s happening to you.

Also, if you’re concerned about your driving, ask friends and family to evaluate your skill.

None of us wants to face the day when we cannot drive at all. My mother had to give up driving after she blacked out and ran off the road. Before my father died of cancer two years ago, giving up his automobile was one of the hardest decisions he had to make. But age can mean mistakes.

The greatest number of accidents for any group of drivers? Teenagers rank first, but those 65 and older are second, according to William L. Mellick, president of 20th Century Insurance Co., which is underwriting the program.

By the way, the producers of the program say it’s not aimed just at the elderly. It’s also meant for those who care about them.

Most of us hate to make any concession to age. Some of us are vain about things as mundane as gray hair and wrinkles around the eyes. I’m still dumbfounded that I can’t drive a golf ball as far as I could in my 20s.

But driving, that’s something that affects a lot of other people out there on the road.

Whooped and Nannied: Did you catch Orange County’s own Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) on ABC-TV’s “Politically Incorrect” this week? I’d counted on fellow panelists Whoopi Goldberg and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown to gang up on him. But it was Fran Drescher (“The Nanny”) who got in the most licks against the conservative congressman.

The issue was morality at the White House. Even host Bill Maher came down on Rohrabacher for repeating unfounded reports of John F. Kennedy bringing prostitutes into the hallowed home.

Rohrabacher suggested that Clinton “seems to be very loose with his personal life and very loose with the truth.” Drescher suggested “it’s Hillary’s problem. People have no right to judge people.”

And what example did the congressman give as a role model for morality? Himself, pointing out that when he recently married, he took his marriage vows seriously. Whoopi’s response: “I don’t care if you get divorced tomorrow, as long as you keep your butt in line in office.”

Half-Century of Freedom: It was 50 years ago this new year that Israel was created, and many in Orange County will be holding celebrations for the momentous occasion. Among them: a Golden Jubilee Parade-Walk for Israel on April 26. It’s part of a series of events that week that will be coordinated by the Jewish Federation of Orange County.

I bring this up not so much so you can mark your calendars but because the federation is appealing for volunteers for this huge undertaking. If you want to get involved, call the Jewish National Fund, which is in charge of the parade, at (714) 558-8733 or (310) 327-2332.

Wrap-Up: Public TV doesn’t do a big ratings boom anyway. And I can’t imagine too many tearing themselves away from Sunday afternoon football on the tube for a documentary on driving habits. But if you’d like a closer look when it’s more convenient for you, you can pick up the brochure with tips for senior drivers on the Internet. Just type in https://www.kcet.org/drivingneed. Or you can order a videocassette copy at 800-343-4727.

Jerry Hicks’ column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Readers may reach Hicks by calling The Times Orange County Edition at (714) 966-7823, by fax at (714) 966-7711 or by e-mail at jerry.hicks@latimes.com.