When Should Someone Over 70 Consider Stopping Driving?
Age 70 by itself is not a reason to stop driving. People age differently, and many continue to drive safely well beyond 70. The important question is whether vision, hearing, physical ability, attention, memory, reaction time, and medical conditions still allow safe driving. NHTSA+1
Warning signs to take seriously
Consider a driving assessment—and potentially reducing or stopping driving—if there are:
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Frequent near-misses, crashes, new dents, or scrapes on the car.
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Getting lost on familiar routes.
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Running stop signs or red lights, failing to yield, or drifting between lanes.
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Difficulty judging gaps in traffic, merging, or reacting quickly.
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Problems seeing road signs, pedestrians, vehicles, or lane markings.
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Difficulty turning the head, steering, or moving the foot between the accelerator and brake.
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New confusion, memory problems, dizziness, fainting, or coordination problems.
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Medications that cause significant sleepiness or slowed reactions.
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Increasing anxiety or inability to cope with nighttime, heavy traffic, or bad weather. NHTSA+2
A doctor, occupational therapist, or qualified driving-rehabilitation specialist can sometimes identify problems that can be addressed rather than requiring immediate retirement from driving. Adjustments such as driving only during daylight, avoiding heavy traffic, or using vehicle adaptations may allow someone to continue driving safely. NHTSA+1
If someone is repeatedly failing to obey traffic signals, getting lost, confusing the accelerator and brake, or experiencing episodes of loss of consciousness, driving should be stopped until they have been medically and/or professionally assessed. NHTSA
The key is ability, not birthday. A planned transition to alternative transportation can also make giving up driving much less disruptive to independence. NHTSA
