I almost jumped out of my chair when I saw this AAA ad, and sprang to get one, and then I had this horrible thought:
"What if she PASSES??"
yeah thats the hard part. they can decide to put a lot of effort into that one performance to prove they can do it. had that happen with my dad. i was supposed to pick him up for something once and found that hed driven himself. then i tried to follow him home to make sure hed get there ok and he blew up the highway at 85. the man could barely bend his leg or turn his head not the mention the seizure problem resulting from the stroke.
If she ... is adamant about this ... I dunno. I've thought long and hard about making a "heads up" call to the local police. Geeeeeeeeeez I hope it doesn't come to that. But if she killed someone ... I couldn't live with that, either, you know?
what might she have done if you had taken the car at 12? would she have called the police? prolly. when the time comes we have to protect them as they protected us. sucks big time tho.
Well, guess I'll cross that bridge when, and if I come to it, and for the time being, just hope I don't. But boy, I sure would have gotten this DVD ten years ago for her. And I do intend to get it for myself as well, at some point. NOT looking forward to THAT day at ALL!
yeah, i came up on that this past year. i couldnt drive for a few months or i shouldnt have driven. i stayed off the road for a few weeks but what then? there is stuff that has to get done. i do recall driving and having to pull over 10 times on the way to the store when the world started spinning. its really hard to lose that independence.
Here's a cool thing I stumbled upon while reading my AAA newsletter.
I don't know if I'm the only one here going through this process or not -- if others are, it would be cool to hear from you, and share info.
The below sounds like a great thing -- too bad it's too late for stocking stuffers -- I'd buy a ton of 'em.
what a great idea. going thru this willl also help seniors to understand their limitations and perhaps make the decision to no longer drive a bit easier on everyone around them.
Yeah! That was my thought too. About TIME someone got around to it! When my Dad was killed by an 82 year old woman who ran a red light, I was talking to the police officer, and he said (right or wrong) "People think it's teenagers who cause all the traffic deaths, but really, it's not -- it's the seniors."
I almost jumped out of my chair when I saw this AAA ad, and sprang to get one, and then I had this horrible thought:
"What if she PASSES??"
I think for now, I'm going to just continue to provide the vague yet firm argument, and if she decides at some point that she's going to go ahead and return to driving anyway, then I may use it as a last resort, and hope for the best.
The last time I rode in a vehicle my Mom was driving was on the freeway. You know those little bumps they put between lanes to wake people up if they start to nod off and drift? She uses those to let her know where she is on the road. I mean .. she SITS on those things, and as long as there's that bump bump bump bump bump thing goin' on, she assumes she's doing fine. One of these days, that bump is going to be something else, though.
It's been over a year since she's driven, though, and for that, I'm thankful. I'm just concerned about what happens if she decides she wants to move back over to her house. I can't be there constantly, watching her every minute, and giving her rides whenever the urge hits if I don't know about her wanting to go somewhere.
If she ... is adamant about this ... I dunno. I've thought long and hard about making a "heads up" call to the local police. Geeeeeeeeeez I hope it doesn't come to that. But if she killed someone ... I couldn't live with that, either, you know? Well, guess I'll cross that bridge when, and if I come to it, and for the time being, just hope I don't. But boy, I sure would have gotten this DVD ten years ago for her. And I do intend to get it for myself as well, at some point. NOT looking forward to THAT day at ALL!
Here's a cool thing I stumbled upon while reading my AAA newsletter.
I don't know if I'm the only one here going through this process or not -- if others are, it would be cool to hear from you, and share info.
The below sounds like a great thing -- too bad it's too late for stocking stuffers -- I'd buy a ton of 'em.
what a great idea. going thru this willl also help seniors to understand their limitations and perhaps make the decision to no longer drive a bit easier on everyone around them.
Here's a cool thing I stumbled upon while reading my AAA newsletter.
I don't know if I'm the only one here going through this process or not -- if others are, it would be cool to hear from you, and share info.
The below sounds like a great thing -- too bad it's too late for stocking stuffers -- I'd buy a ton of 'em.
Roadwise Review AAA offers first home-based tool to help seniors drive safely longer.
Just as you can screen for high cholesterol or high blood pressure, AAA has introduced a first-of-its kind scientifically valid tool designed to help seniors screen for their driving health in the privacy of their homes. Roadwise Review: A Tool to Help Seniors Drive Safely Longer, is a CD-ROM that measures eight physical and mental abilities shown to be the strongest predictors of crash risk among older drivers and provides feedback to guide the users decision about their ability to drive safely.
As we age, we experience physiological changes which could affect our driving and there are steps you can take to keep driving safely longer, said Robert L. Darbelnet, President and CEO of AAA. We are confident Roadwise has the potential to have a major impact on traffic safety.
People over 65 are the fastest-growing population in the United States and by 2020 there will be more than 40 million licensed drivers ages 65 and older. Because of their fragility, seniors have the highest crash death rate per mile of everyone except teenagers. At the same time, a recent AAA survey of more than 1000 seniors showed that next to financial security and the cost of affordable health care, seniors are most concerned about their continued ability to get around in the future. The survey also indicated that nearly 90 percent of those polled said they currently drive themselves to get around on a daily basis.
AAA worked closely with scientists at TransAnalytics, a leading transportation safety research organization, to create a tool that is both state-of-the-art and user-friendly
"In our focus group testing nation-wide, senior drivers viewed the program as simple, clear, valuable and even fun to use, said Bella Dinh-Zarr, PhD, AAA Director of Traffic Safety Policy. Many said they would follow through with the program's recommendations because it would extend their safe driving years.
Using videos and easy-to-follow instructions, Roadwise Review screens drivers in eight functional areas:
Leg Strength and General Mobility necessary to control acceleration and braking.
Head/Neck Flexibility essential in checking blind spots, lane changes or merging.
High Contrast Visual Acuity needed to identify pavement markings, as well as detect many types of hazards in or near the road. Low Visual Acuity vital for driving in low visibility conditions such as dusk, rain or fog.
Working Memory important in following directions, remembering traffic rules and regulations, and using information on highway guide signs.
Visualization of Missing Information helps a driver recognize hazards even when seeing only part of the picture.
Visual Search safe driving requires the ability to quickly find and recognize traffic signs and landmarks.
Useful Field of View ensures drivers can pay attention to what is happening right in front of them while also noticing safety threats at the edge of their field of view.
Roadwise Review uses an integrated data system that reports and provides users with confidential feedback about screening results and its CD-ROM format is compatible with most home computers.
