Me, would like to do it NOW at age 63, but luv seeing my old lady (2006 Hyundai Elantra) parked out front = my ESCAPE from my upstairs neighbors from HELL/lol. Once I find a Tiny Cottage to rent in Salem, Virginia, I will probably turn my keys in when she dies of old age. Driving STRESSES me out here. Folks riding your BUMPER. Over the years (started driving at age 18 in St. Louis, Missouri - Honda Civic Hatchback), I have been REAR ENDED and not my fault. No speeding tickets. Lol, got pulled over and WARNED as soon as I drove the car off the lot. That SCARED me enough. Grateful cop knew it was an innocent mistake.
@DeahWA Hooray for stick shifts! I miss mine, I gave that up when I realized that wife was not going to be able to drive that in the event of a road emergency (eg: I become ill while driving in the boonies, she wouldn't be able to drive stick).
I love driving so it will be a bummer when I have to do so. Sixty five and still drive a motorcycle too. My dad is 90 and still driving, though mostly during the day and around town. He doesn't like to drive new places far away, which is probably a good idea.
I don't drive much now. My car is older than yours, @Anonymous now - 2001 Honda Accord EX, purchased it new in 2001 and now has 130,000 miles.
Guess I will stop driving when and if I become a safety hazard or I can no longer find my keys or maybe the actual car. So far, so good. I go a few places and all those places only allows me to do right hand turns; that way hopefully, I won't slow down anybody else by me trying to turn left.
I am currently 64 this year. I know my mom had dementia and we had to hide her car keys so that she would no longer drive but we kept her car for her until she passed away because it always seem to comfort her that she could look out the window and see that her car was still there. I drive very little since retirement. I have only put 7,000 miles on my car that I purchased brand new. in 2012. I think when it gets to point that I am behind the wheel and start not knowing exactly where I am - that will be a sign to me that I need to give up the keys.
How 'bout when I made this tough decision? When I may not realize danger to others?
A wonderful elderly lady basically mowed down a junior hs track team, unwittingly, due to lose of dexterity/sight/response time.
In 1986 I was DUIed following office party and meds; both the officer and supervisor were very nice and even mentioned I could be their spouse... hours later a DUI murdered a motorcyclist on the 91 due to dui; I felt she might have been me had I not been stopped.
When I realized I could no longer see 180 degrees while driving, not could I realize which speed was appropriate I stopped driving.
It's been an extreme inconvenience, but I feel I've made the right decision. I so hope others will recognize when they should stop driving.
Just as too many young drivers have caused rampant collisions lately, we older need to lead by example...
This is such a fun and thoughtful topic 😊 My grandfather drove until he was 87 but only to church and the grocery store! We used to tease him that his car knew the way better than he did 😂
I think giving up driving isn’t about age, but about feeling safe and confident. Sometimes the hardest part is accepting that it’s okay to slow down.
Curious to hear others’ stories too! When did you or your loved ones decide to hand over the keys?
You are so right, Anna! I quit driving just before Covid, when I recognized I couldn't ignore my loss of attention to my surroundings. I knew then I might harm others, so stepped aside and sold "Bessie" (my reliable Jeep) so I was no longer a "driver"...
Perhaps the Covid lock-downs eased my withdrawal, since going out wasn't a good thing; but either way, I don't regret giving up driving. There are so many people I might have harmed by driving when I shouldn't have; I consider them worthy of my being honest of myself...
I am 74 and am a nervous driver. I hope to be able to drive for many more years but have noticed that the people I know tend to stop driving in their late 80’s or early 90’s. For me it would probably be earlier, maybe in my early 80’s.