Tell Him Not to Drive~!
Octogenarians are no different from teenagers in that they rank driving as essential to the enjoyment of a good quality of life.
The urge to drive must be on the Y chromosome.
Mass transportation in suburban or rural communities basically does not exist. Driving is freedom.
To the elderly male ego, being behind the wheel is like riding tall in the saddle. Many old men would frankly rather be dead than prevented from driving.I have known patients in their eighties who elected to keep on driving even after losing their licenses. They adopt a sort of kamikaze attitude, figuring that they have nothing to lose, with no consideration given to the safety of other drivers or pedestrians.
As the law stands, patient privacy comes before public safety
There is no Medicare diagnostic code for participation in a family feud. Yet, traditionally, the physician, as an authority figure, has been called on to serve as a judge. The exam room is family court in session.
I recall a patient in her seventies who took a single OTC antihistamine, got behind the wheel, and promptly totaled her brand-new Subaru.
This is scary stuff. So, how do we know when to pull the car keys? Who should be the heavy who just says no to driving?
Finally, an “old-old” widower, no longer able to drive, may seek out and marry a “young-old” woman just for her wheels.
Whose license should I pull? Is a fragile, slightly confused, creaky old man any more of an impaired driver than a distracted, texting, iPod-wearing teenager with a car full of yakking friends? How about the multi-tasking business executive, doing deals on his BlackBerry while doing 50 mph in a 35 mph zone? In an era when drivers view red lights and stop signs more as suggestions than law, it is hard to say who can and cannot drive a motor vehicle safely.
Octogenarians are no different from teenagers in that they rank driving as essential to the enjoyment of a good quality of life.
The urge to drive must be on the Y chromosome.
Mass transportation in suburban or rural communities basically does not exist. Driving is freedom.
To the elderly male ego, being behind the wheel is like riding tall in the saddle. Many old men would frankly rather be dead than prevented from driving.I have known patients in their eighties who elected to keep on driving even after losing their licenses. They adopt a sort of kamikaze attitude, figuring that they have nothing to lose, with no consideration given to the safety of other drivers or pedestrians.
As the law stands, patient privacy comes before public safety
There is no Medicare diagnostic code for participation in a family feud. Yet, traditionally, the physician, as an authority figure, has been called on to serve as a judge. The exam room is family court in session.
I recall a patient in her seventies who took a single OTC antihistamine, got behind the wheel, and promptly totaled her brand-new Subaru.
This is scary stuff. So, how do we know when to pull the car keys? Who should be the heavy who just says no to driving?
Finally, an “old-old” widower, no longer able to drive, may seek out and marry a “young-old” woman just for her wheels.
Whose license should I pull? Is a fragile, slightly confused, creaky old man any more of an impaired driver than a distracted, texting, iPod-wearing teenager with a car full of yakking friends? How about the multi-tasking business executive, doing deals on his BlackBerry while doing 50 mph in a 35 mph zone? In an era when drivers view red lights and stop signs more as suggestions than law, it is hard to say who can and cannot drive a motor vehicle safely.
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