Adult Children Would Rather Talk to Parents About Funeral Plans Than About Taking Away Car Keys, According to New Research from Caring.com and the National Safety Council SAN MATEO, Calif., June 11
SAN MATEO, Calif., June 11 /PRNewswire/ -- A new national survey of baby
boomers shows a growing need for better communication about driving issues
among adult children and their aging parents, calls for additional
restrictions on their parents' driving -- whether voluntary or mandatory --
and points to an urgent need for expanded access to public transportation for
seniors. The survey, released today by Caring.com and the National Safety
Council (NSC) during National Safety Month, is designed to raise awareness
about a growing national concern about elderly drivers.
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Over the next 20 years, the United States will experience a substantial
growth in senior drivers. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population
of those over 75 will grow from 18 million to 31 million between 2008 and
2028. With accident rates for drivers over the age of 65 higher than for any
other group except teens, this large increase in senior drivers could result
in up to 100,000 senior driving deaths between 2008 and 2028.
"With our senior driving population growing, there will be more drivers
over the age of 75, potentially causing serious safety issues on our roads,"
said John Kennedy, executive director of NSC Defensive Driving Programs. "As a
nation, we must do more to promote mature driver safety through better
education, self-evaluation tools, refresher driving courses, and more options
for public transportation."
Caring.com and NSC fielded the "Mature Drivers Survey" among baby boomers,
the group most commonly impacted by caring for an aging parent. The purpose of
the survey was to gather insights on how children of aging parents feel about
their parents' driving safety.
Overall, research shows a clear desire among baby boomers for more
resources and information to help them with issues surrounding their aging
parents' driving safety. Additionally, many feel there should be restrictions
on their parents' driving, but they aren't comfortable having that difficult
conversation.
"Talking to an aging parent about driving is a very sensitive issue, but
adult children need to have these conversations to avoid a dangerous situation
for their loved ones and for society at large," said Andy Cohen, cofounder and
CEO, Caring.com. "Caring.com has scripts and articles on how to have these
difficult conversations."
How to Discuss
Talking to aging parents about their driving is a sensitive subject.
Approximately 40 percent of survey respondents reported not feeling
comfortable talking to parents about driving. In fact, they were much more
comfortable talking to them about selling their home or making funeral plans
than about their driving issues. Many baby boomers who feel their parents
should not drive reported never having had a discussion on the topic. Yet 70
percent said they believe they or another family member should address this
issue with their parents when the time comes.
When asked for one piece of advice on how to talk to parents about
driving, respondents overwhelmingly recommended being honest and speaking from
the heart, discussing the issue of their safety and the safety of others on
the road, speaking from a position of concern and not ridicule, and letting
them know they have a support network.
Senior Driver Testing
While each state has individual testing requirements, approximately 33
percent of baby boomer respondents think there should be restrictions on their
parents' driving -- whether voluntary or mandatory -- including curbs on night
driving or driving long distances. Seventy-one percent think there should be
mandatory driving tests for drivers age 70 and over, with 80 percent feeling
mandatory testing should be conducted every one to two years.
Inadequate Public Transportation
If there are restrictions on driving, how do seniors get around? More than
half of the survey respondents said there is inadequate public transportation
available to meet their parents' needs, and 87 percent said public transit
doesn't exist or they're not aware of it.
Tips from Caring.com and the NSC
The following are some tips from Caring.com and the National Safety
Council on how to assess a parent's driving abilities:
-- Take several drives with your parent at the wheel, and observe his/her
driving with an open mind.
-- Notice whether your parent is reluctant to drive.
-- Watch for slowed reaction time.
-- Notice his/her awareness of the driving environment.
-- Check the car for signs of damage when he/she is not with you.
-- Check with trusted friends and neighbors about his/her driving.
For more information on how to talk with your parents about driving or
related issues, and to find out more about the Caring.com/NSC "Mature Drivers
Study," visit http://www.caring.com/driving.
For more information about mature driver safety from the National Safety
Council, go to http://www.nsc.org/resources/issues/drivsafe.aspx.
* About the Study: Interviewing for the Mature Drivers Survey was
conducted online by Knowledge Networks among a national sample of 1,011 adults
who had one or more living parent aged 65 and older, who still drive.
Interviews were conducted April 15 through April 21, 2008. Members of the
Knowledge Networks Internet panel were initially recruited by telephone to
join the KN panel; panelists who were not online were provided with Internet
access. The findings reflect a nationally representative sample of the target
population.
About the National Safety Council
The National Safety Council (http://www.nsc.org) is a nonprofit,
nongovernmental public service organization. Members of the NSC include
businesses, labor organizations, schools, public agencies, private groups, and
individuals. Founded in 1913 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1953, the
National Safety Council is committed to preventing accidental injuries in the
workplace, on roads and highways, and in homes and communities.
About Caring.com
Caring.com is a community and content website that provides people who are
caring for aging parents with time-saving information to help them make better
decisions. Founded in 2007 by a team of people who have taken care of their
own aging parents, Caring.com is a free resource to users and is supported by
advertisers. Caring.com is backed by leading venture investors DCM and Split
Rock Partners. Caring.com is headquartered in San Mateo, California, and can
be reached at http://www.caring.com.
SOURCE Caring.com
