That is so very tough.
Driving is a privilege that has been worked for and when you have been doing it so long, it is hard to let go of it.
When you are elderly, losing your freedoms, like driving, paying bills, not having to take medications, being careful not to fall and break bones is a sign of your mortality.
It is sad, but a necessary hurt we have to inflict for the safety of all.
My 90 YO grandmother had the ok from her doctor to drive her '86 Lincoln Towncar, despite being blind in one eye, deaf in the other ear, shaky and frail. He said it would be good for her.
My comment was that he should do a drive test with her first and if he survived, he could then make an educated determination. She finally was unable to get to her car without assistance, so she stopped driving.
My MIL on the other hand, was a terror on wheels. I met her when she was 79 and I drove with her once. Once. She missed her off ramp, pulled over and backed up to it instead of just going to the next off ramp. She racked up tickets and accidents and got out of most tickets by throwing tantrums of such ferocity, that the poor cop usually let her go to shut her up. Or she would just pay the fine. She almost wiped me out at an iintersection and when I followed her home to confront her about it, she accused me of lying and threatened to sue me for elder abuse.
The final straw was when she wiped out the city's Christmas decorations on the center island because the driver in front of her wasn't going fast enough and she tried to pass on the left side of the middle lane. After taking and failing 7 driver classes, trying to sue for age discrimination and bombarding any politician, city and state, that she could think of with mail and phone calls to get her license reinstated, she finally gave up and bought a Hover-Round to go to the store on. Up hill.
Driving is a privilege that has been worked for and when you have been doing it so long, it is hard to let go of it.
When you are elderly, losing your freedoms, like driving, paying bills, not having to take medications, being careful not to fall and break bones is a sign of your mortality.
It is sad, but a necessary hurt we have to inflict for the safety of all.
My 90 YO grandmother had the ok from her doctor to drive her '86 Lincoln Towncar, despite being blind in one eye, deaf in the other ear, shaky and frail. He said it would be good for her.
My comment was that he should do a drive test with her first and if he survived, he could then make an educated determination. She finally was unable to get to her car without assistance, so she stopped driving.
My MIL on the other hand, was a terror on wheels. I met her when she was 79 and I drove with her once. Once. She missed her off ramp, pulled over and backed up to it instead of just going to the next off ramp. She racked up tickets and accidents and got out of most tickets by throwing tantrums of such ferocity, that the poor cop usually let her go to shut her up. Or she would just pay the fine. She almost wiped me out at an iintersection and when I followed her home to confront her about it, she accused me of lying and threatened to sue me for elder abuse.
The final straw was when she wiped out the city's Christmas decorations on the center island because the driver in front of her wasn't going fast enough and she tried to pass on the left side of the middle lane. After taking and failing 7 driver classes, trying to sue for age discrimination and bombarding any politician, city and state, that she could think of with mail and phone calls to get her license reinstated, she finally gave up and bought a Hover-Round to go to the store on. Up hill.
