RSS

E-mail

Twitter

Facebook

Ralph’s Retirement Ramblings: When are we too old to drive?

By Ralph Cwik
Citizen Journalist

Ralph Cwik

As baby boomer retirees, we have a dilemma approaching us: At what age should we stop driving?

The dilemma is similar to when our parents decide to stop driving (or when we help them determine they should stop driving). Our parents are reaching their late 80s and early 90s, and some are still driving. Driving a car is a means of transportation and sometimes their only doorway to the world.

Unfortunately, as we age, our reflexes and driving skills deteriorate, and we become a nuisance – or worse, an accident waiting to happen. Recently, the state government attempted to pass a bill to make it harder for senior citizens to renew their licenses. As soon as the senior citizens voiced their opinion, however, the government withdrew the bill and allowed the current laws to stand.

For some parents, the decision is easy; they say they’re nervous when they drive, or they don’t drive as much as they used to and ponder the costliness of keeping a car. We as their kids can encourage them to stop driving and offer alternative methods of transportation.

But finding alternative transportation is difficult. Garner does not have a senior citizen transportation system. We have the Triangle Transit Authority, the Capital Area Transit, TRACS and several others, but none of them are targeted at Garner senior citizens specifically.

I recently talked to a senior citizen who needed transportation from her home to the Garner Senior Center, and she used TRACS; the trip took her two hours. We do have the Garner EMS units that offer nonemergency medical transportation for people. Other alternatives are relatives, friends and neighbors.

Helping our parents decide when to stop driving forces us to think about our own driving dilemma.

As baby boomer retirees, we are the automotive generation. We were brought up on cars; gas and oil are in our blood. When we were in our teens, gas was cheap, and cars were a status symbol.

The automobile was the main means of transportation and entertainment. Many of us would go out on Friday and Saturday nights and drive for hours for fun. But as we aged, our fun times changed, and though our love for our cars hasn’t, our speed has declined. Our generation still looks at cars as more than transportation.

I still enjoy the new car feel, the new car smell and the new styles that come out each year. Every time a Corvette drives by, I just have to look and drool. I like my independence, and I like that I can travel when I want to and to where I want.

I dread the day when I have to give up my license and find alternative transportation to my destination. I know it will come, and I know it will not be easy for me. I do hope I don’t make it a problem for my family.

I’ve intentionally left the dilemma of when to stop driving unanswered. It is often a personal decision, but a decision that we can’t put off forever. The Garner Senior Center says that transportation is their most discussed topic. I have provided some alternative transportation methods, but I know they’re not the most opportune solutions for some. I encourage readers to submit or write to me about any alternative modes they have.

Resources
For nonemergency medical transportation by EMS units, call 919-661-6872.

For other companies and alternative transportation, turn to page 55 in the “Resource for Seniors” directory available at the Garner Senior Center.

Related articles:

• Ralph’s retirement ramblings: Youthful hobbies become new once again
• Ralph’s retirement ramblings: Looking back on Labor Day celebrations
• Ralph’s retirement ramblings: March 4

 Print This

Leave a Reply

Comments are subject to moderation. Remarks that are rude, unrelated, or otherwise inappropriate will be removed.