Seniors Driving Safely
Are you an older driver who worries about whether your reflexes are as sharp
as they used to be? Are you concerned that changes in vision or hearing
might increase your risk while behind the wheel?
Are you the loved one or friend of an older driver and you worry that his or her driving skills have declined? Are you anxious about your spouse, mom or grandfather hitting the road alone?
Driving is a huge issue for older drivers and their families and can be the cause of much worry and conflict. A new driving evaluation program designed for older drivers is now available in the DFW metroplex. The program is called Seniors Driving Safely and involves a 3-hour in-home evaluation by a certified driving professional. The evaluation process involves discussion of driving habits, risks and concerns with the driver, written testing and a road test in the older driver’s vehicle in his or her own neighborhood. At the end of the evaluation, the driving professional discusses the objective data gathered during the process with the older driver so that the driver may then decide whether he or she should continue driving, should obtain additional driving instruction to decrease risks while behind the wheel, or should consider retiring from driving. The friendly, respectful and objective evaluation process is designed to help the older driver more accurately and realistically assess his or her own driving skills.
This new program is a complement to the existing rehabilitation driving assessment programs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and will refer appropriate clients with acute medical concerns to those programs.
Seniors Driving Safely welcomes all drivers who have concerns about their driving skills and safety, regardless of age. The driver or a family member (with the driver’s consent) can call to schedule a driving evaluation at a time convenient for the driver. A doctor’s order is not required prior to evaluation. Evaluation results are immediately presented to the driver and any family members whom the driver wishes to include. Road tests are conducted in the driver’s neighborhood and, whenever feasible, on the routes normally travelled by the driver, which permits the driving professional to observe driving habits when the driver is in familiar neighborhoods.
Clients are asked to pay an evaluation fee prior to the beginning of the evaluation process. The cost of the evaluation by Seniors Driving Safely is not covered by insurance.
Because the road test will be done in the client’s vehicle, that vehicle must be in safe condition and currently licensed at the time of the scheduled evaluation.
At this time, the evaluation will be conducted entirely in English, so the driver must be able to speak enough English to complete the written testing and to answer questions and receive instructions from the driving professional. As Seniors Driving Safely grows, they hope to expand their abilities to accommodate non-English-speaking drivers.
E-Senior Services will assist Seniors Driving Safely with customer service and client scheduling, but Seniors Driving Safely is an independent local business. E-Senior Services has no ownership interest in Seniors Driving Safely.
For more information on Seniors Driving Safely and to schedule an evaluation, please call E-Senior Services at 972-809-0247.
