Seniors struggle with decision to give up driving

BY JASMINE-SIMONE MILLER , The Island Packet

Published Sunday, July 27th, 2003

Marguerite Sweatman vividly remembers why she gave up her driver's license three years ago.

"I noticed one day, when I got in the car and started down the road, that instead of one line in the center of the
road, I had two!" she said.

The 84-year-old resident of the Carolina House of Hilton Head Island is one of many seniors who have decided to give up
driving because of their age. Of the nearly 2.9 million drivers with South Carolina driver's licenses, there were
410,195 drivers over the age of 65, according to 2001 statistics taken by the S.C. Department of Public Safety. Of
those drivers, 274,122 were over the age of 70 and 163,268 were 75 or older, the statistics showed.

The question of how old is too old to be behind the wheel has received more attention since July 16, when an 86-year-
old driver crashed into a farmers market in Santa Monica, Calif., killing 10 and injuring dozens.

That debate was spurred further Friday morning when a 79-year-old disabled man lost control of his car and plowed into
a northern Florida roadside farmers market, leaving three people with minor injuries.

Only three of the 45 Carolina House residents use their cars, said Patty Knox, director of marketing and sales at the
assisted-living facility, which provides a transportation service to take residents to doctor's appointments, shopping
and various evening activities.

In addition to using the transportation system, Sweatman now travels around Hilton Head with friends or family. Does
she miss driving? "Yes I do. That was a freedom," she said.

But it was a freedom she was willing to sacrifice for safety.

"I've ridden with people who needed to give up driving and that's frightening," she said.

Resident Dick Teasel, 81, followed his mother's footsteps and gave up driving at 75 after being further persuaded by
his daughter and son-in-law.

"It's a tough decision for older people to make," said Teasel, who noted that he's never had an accident since learning
how to drive at age 14. "It's not convenient to give up driving. I'm dependent all the time on people picking me up.

"But I didn't want to be like that guy in Santa Monica, Calif. I didn't want to be in that situation. When you get
older, sometimes your sight isn't so good or your memory isn't so good," he said.

Despite not having a car, Teasel says he still gets out and has fun by going out to eat with his daughter who lives in
Bluffton, to events with the Carolina House or as a member of Retired Old Men Eating Out, a group associated with St.
Francis By the Sea Catholic Church that meets for lunch on Thursdays.

"You just have to plan a little bit," Teasel said. "I may run to the hardware store or the clothing store if I had a
car, but now I combine trips. The other day my daughter took me out to Outback for dinner, and then I stopped at the
drugstore afterwards and bought Tylenol."

Giving up driving is often very difficult for seniors because many see the sacrifice as the start of losing their
independence, said Knox, who is trying to persuade her 78-year-old father, who has had an accident, to give up driving.

"He only drives at certain times during the day, and he thinks he's doing the right thing, but he still had the
accident," she said.

Knox said she believes the accident was because of hearing loss and slowed reflexes.

Maggie Fagan, an occupational therapist with the driving evaluation program at Hilton Head Regional Medical Center,
says that aside from the experience of a trauma, there are certain health conditions that may make driving difficult as
we age.

"If you question your skills, you should be evaluated," Fagan said. "There are certain things that affect vision, like
cataracts. Fitness level also changes, and the ability to react can slow."

The driving program, which Fagan started five years ago, helps people who have suffered from a trauma, such as a
stroke, Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis, regain their ability to drive.

Participants, who are referred to the program by their physician, are typically over the age of 75. They are screened
for important driving concerns, such as accurate vision, perception and cognition, as part of a clinical assessment
before returning to the road with a driving instructor.

"Break reaction time is also very important with the elderly; as we age our reactions slow. The average time it takes a
person to move their foot from the accelerator to the break is between four-tenths and six-tenths of a second. We try
to get elderly drivers back to (at least) six-tenths of a second," she said. "If it takes them longer than up to a
second, then that's a cause for concern."

Knox says she often talks to people who are trying to persuade their elderly parents to give up driving.

She recently spoke to the family members of an elderly man who has fallen three times but continues to drive.

"It's a major concern. Can he still drive? But that's his independence, his one control," Knox said. "But giving up a
car doesn't mean you can't continue with your lifestyle. Life goes on even when you can't drive."

Former mayor of Hilton Head Island Martha Baumberger, a resident at the Seabrook of Hilton Head, is proof that life
goes on. She even wrote a guide for Seabrook residents, called "How To Get Along Without a Car," which suggests using
the Seabrook transportation service or services that will deliver necessities, such as prescription medicines and
groceries.

But Baumberger, who turned 90 on Thursday, didn't give up driving because of her age.

"I gave up driving not because I was getting old, but because my car was getting old," said Baumberger, who sold her
1987 Chevy Monte Carlo three years ago. "But I'm glad I don't have the hassle of repairs or the cost of gasoline."

She promotes the financial reward of not driving in her guide.

One bill that Baumberger will no longer have to worry about is one for car insurance. Bea Borynski, office manager for
Farm Bureau Insurance of Beaufort, said insurance premiums are increased after age 55.

"The difference between the insurance premium of a 55-year-old and the average driver, around 35 years old, is an
increase of about $20. The difference between the average 35-year-old and someone over 70 is an increase of between $50
and $100," Borynski said.

While coverage varies by driving record and location, Borynski said the increase in insurance cost is because older
drivers may not be as alert and quick as younger drivers.

Aside from saving money, Sweatman, Teasel and Baumberger, like many seniors, have proven that giving up driving will
not put a dent in your social life.

"Can you survive without driving?" Teasel said. "The answer is yeah."

"It's easier to go to sleep at night when you don't have a problem like driving when you shouldn't," he said.

SOURCE: Hilton Head Island Packet, SC
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/2726352p-2527587c.html

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