Know when to sit back, enjoy the ride

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LAYTON -- After almost crashing into another car while driving 12 years ago, then-60-year-old Shirley Kelly relinquished her driver's license, vowing never to drive again.

"I am now completely deaf in one ear and legally blind without my glasses, so I didn't see the car in front of me or hear it honk," she said. "I just sat there and cried."

Drivers age 65 and older represent only 1 percent of the total drivers in Utah, but they are three times more likely to be involved in a fatal car accident than any other group of drivers, according to Utah Highway Safety.

Utah does not have any additional requirements for seniors renewing their licenses except an eye evaluation every five years after the age of 65, said Wallace Wintle, chief of the Driver's Services Bureau of the Driver License Division.

A bill that would require all Utah drivers to retest at a certain age was defeated in the Legislature this year.

The AARP lobbied against it, arguing it would "impact a lot of people unnecessarily" because it is difficult to determine at what age a person becomes impaired, said Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, who proposed the bill.

However, another defeated bill that allows the public to anonymously report physically impaired drivers will return to the 2008 Legislature. Currently, only a nonconfidential report to the DMV can be made.

The bill's return is prompted by the death of the Salt Lake City father and daughter hit in a crosswalk by an 86-year-old motorist this year, he said.

"There are a lot of incidents like this, especially now. With baby boomers getting older, the number of seniors will be increasing dramatically."

Now 72, Kelly said the decision to stop driving wasn't hard, but the consequences were.

"A lot of people lived because I gave up my license," the Layton resident said. "But I definitely have missed it."

Kelly is among many Davis County seniors who have given up their license, becoming dependent on alternative transportation, which often means relying on family and friends.

"It's hard because they are giving up a degree of their freedom when they give up those keys," Christensen said. "But if they hit someone, they have to live with it for the rest of their lives."

Senior centers, such as Autumn Glow in Kaysville, offer busing to and from the center for daily lunches and provide transportation for medical visits and shopping twice a week.

Another program helps seniors be better drivers.

Sponsored by AARP, a two-day driving education class, "55 and Alive," is offered regularly for people age 55 and older. Participants receive better insurance premiums, said 73-year-old Vern Call, a program instructor.

"My guess is, a small fraction of people over 55 haven't had any driving instruction since they learned how to drive," he said. "Roads, cars and people have changed dramatically since then."

In the class, street signs and modern driving rules and techniques are reviewed, as well as things seniors "can, can't and shouldn't do," such as driving at night if vision is compromised, Call said.

"Let's face it. Our reaction time is slower. Our vision isn't as good because we're older, so we need that three seconds of cushion between us and other drivers," Call said to his students recently while discussing defensive driving techniques.

Signs that seniors should stop driving are also discussed in the class. Those warnings include hearing problems, eyesight degeneration and the general concern of family members, he said.

"It's the hardest thing in the world to give up a driver's license," Call said. "You're giving up your independence and sense of being, but there are alternatives to driving, so it's not the end of the world."

In addition to the senior centers' accommodations, he recommends mass transit, such as UTA buses, which offer senior discounts and are less expensive than operating a personal vehicle.

Friends, family and neighbors can also be very helpful, he said.

Seniors are generally responsible drivers, but when they don't realize they aren't safe, family members must step in, said Rolayne Fairclough, spokeswoman for AAA Utah.

Those concerned about their parents' driving should approach them several times in a nonthreatening manner about the danger they present to themselves and others, Call said.

It is important to provide every possible alternative and, he said, that sometimes involves family sacrifice.

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