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Healthy Aging: What Older Drivers Can Do to Stay Safe on the Road
January 14, 2025
No one wants to think about getting older, but the fact is that your driving skills and abilities change as your body ages. In today’s blog, we discuss how older drivers can maintain independence and stay safe on the road.
Build Strength, Coordination & Flexibility
As you get older, things that used to come easily—leaning over your shoulders to change lanes or moving your foot from the gas to the brake pedal—can start to feel more difficult. To stay safer on the road, you’ll want to work on your strength, coordination, and flexibility. You don’t need to spend hours at the gym, just try to stretch your body every day, get some steps in, and avoid driving when your body is stiff, swollen, overtired, or in severe pain.
Be More Deliberate About Your Drives
Older drivers typically have a slower reaction time than younger drivers. They can also have trouble seeing at night or dealing with busy traffic. Driving safely while aging might mean making some concessions about where and when you drive. You might, for example, want to avoid driving at night or during rush hour. You might also avoid driving unfamiliar places.
Older drivers’ crash pattern analysis also shows that left turns can be especially dangerous, so if you can’t turn at a stoplight with a left turn arrow, remember that three rights make a left.
Choose the Right Vehicle
Because of slower response times and mobility issues, as you age, senior drivers may benefit from vehicles with an automatic transmission, power steering, and power brakes. If you’re able to afford it, many new vehicles also come standard with safety features like emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warnings, and more. These features can help make you more confident on the road.
Stay On Top of Eye Health
Visual impairment in older drivers can be incredibly dangerous. That’s why it’s so important to get regular eye exams and to make sure you’re always wearing glasses and contacts with your most recent prescription. Additionally, you can make sure that you have sunglasses when it’s bright out, keep your windshield clear, and make sure that your headlights are clean and properly aimed.
Need more information about older drivers? This resource from IIHS can help. You can also check out the Grange Insurance Association blog where we cover a wide range of auto insurance topics, including safe driving tips and what to do if you get in a car accident. Looking for the best car insurance for senior drivers in California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, or Wyoming. Grange Insurance Association has got you covered!
The content available via Grange.com is for informational purposes only and may not be used for any other purpose. Content provided or expressed on Grange.com, including that of third parties, may not reflect Grange Insurance Association’s (GIA) policies or conform to any agreement you may have with GIA and its subsidiary companies. Please contact a licensed insurance agent to obtain particular advice.
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