The two main ageing effects on your driving are:

1. Your eyesight.

2. Your ability to process information as fast as you once could.

 

Individually, these can both play a minor part to gradually making us less safe unless we make some compensations in our driving. But combined the problem can multiply. Here is why:​

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Eyesight

Most of us find that me need stronger glasses for reading as we get older but we also need corrections to our driving or longer distance vision. Varifocals will enable us to see in the distance as well as the information on the dashboard in front of us.

However, it is less difficult to correct the fact that our eyes take in less light and take much longer to adjust to changing light intensities, such as being dazzled by headlights at night.

It is also not so easy to overcome some common eye conditions that often occur as we age, such as cataracts and Glaucoma.

All of these things may mean we need to get a little closer to hazards or information boards to pick out the detail we need to make safe decisions.

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Information processing

It gradually takes longer, as we age, to take in visual in information and then make a decision on what to do. This can be noticed in many aspects of life, such as learning how to use a new phone.

The situation is further complicated by the  increased likelihood we are faced with of developing a cognitive impairment which may develop into a diagnosed dementia.

Most people are sensible and compensate for these declines, such as steering clear of the faster and more complex road layouts, particularly if they are unfamiliar.

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Combination of eyesight and cognitive problems.

Consider the situation approaching a large, unfamiliar roundabout. We need to rely on the signboards to tell us the position of our required exit and therefore, make a choice on which lane to approach in. At the same time we need to take in information from all around us to see what other drivers are doing and the layout of the junction onto the roundabout.

Clearly, if we can see the information we need from a distance away we should have plenty of time to do all that is required for a safe approach.

The problem is that if we need to get close to the sign board to see the information, we then have less time to do all these other things and, what's more, it takes us longer because our information processing abilities shave slowed.

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The safest solution is to avoid all these situations altogether but if we need to use these roads, we will need to slow our approach to give us more time to think.

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