With winter comes lots of challenges, from the ability to exercise outside to shorter days that keep people in the dark for most of their waking hours; winter can be hard in many ways. And while there are lovely aspects about winter to enjoy and work arounds for the stumbling blocks it places before us to do the things we need completed, it can still make life a little bit harder to navigate. Connecting with a transportation services team that can help your loved one with reliable transportation is important when those winter months hit, if they don’t have anyone else to help with their transportation needs.
Winter Driving and Seniors
One of the hardest things to navigate in the winter is the roads. Driving now often requires a completely different skill set, and the road bumps (and potholes) you hit along the way are often more serious and sometimes frightening. While many of the challenges of winter driving affect everyone out on the roads, they can hit seniors especially hard. If you have an elderly loved one who is considering taking a long road trip or just a trip down the local highway, there are some things you should consider before you help them decide if they should drive or if they should arrange for transportation from a transportation services provider.
Five Key Reasons Winter Driving is Difficult for Seniors
As mentioned, the winter obstacles are the same for everyone – ice, snow, poor visibility – but for some seniors, these obstacles can be compounded by other age-related concerns.
Here are five things that may make driving in the winter even more tough for your senior.
Depth Perception. Many older individuals begin to struggle more with depth perception, making it difficult to know if they can pull out in front of a moving car or when to apply the brakes when approaching stopped traffic. This decrease in depth perception, combined with driving in snow or icy roads, can have dangerous results.
Medications. Medications can affect how alert your loved one is as well as how quickly they can react to a changing situation. Even if your loved one isn’t feeling tired when they first get behind the wheel, they may become sleepy quickly, and it can affect their ability to stay awake behind the wheel.
Reaction time. Driving on icy roads means your loved one needs to know how to adapt when he cannot stop his vehicle due to ice or if someone else is coming toward him due to slippery roads. If your loved one’s reaction times are slow, it can reduce their risk of having an accident.
Night vision. Many seniors struggle with nighttime vision, and unfortunately, a lot of winter driving occurs after the sun sets.
Emergency preparedness. Your senior may do everything right and still get stuck or get in an accident. If they are alone but unable to walk for help or use their phone, how long will they have to sit in their car during freezing temperatures, hoping someone will see them and help them?
Reliable Transportation is Important for Winter Safety
A home care agency that provides safe and reliable drivers from their transportation services team will make sure your loved one can still go where they need to go and do what they need to do this winter without worrying about the dangers of winter driving.