Dementia and Driving

By Alzheimer's Association

Making the decision that a person with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia should stop driving is never easy. Giving up the car keys is a deeply emotional issue that impacts the person's sense of freedom and control. It is important acknowledge the person's feelings while ensuring his/her safety and the safety of others.

Driving demands quick reaction time and fast decision making. Because of this, a person with Alzheimer's will eventually become unable to drive. It's important for families to deal with this reality early on to help ease the transition. Determining when someone can no longer safely drive requires careful observation by family and caregivers. Following are signs that it's time to stop driving

Forgetting how to locate familiar places
Failing to observe traffic signs
Making slow or poor decisions in traffic
Driving at an inappropriate speed
Becoming angry or confused while driving
Hitting curbs
Using poor lane control
Making errors at intersections
Confusing the brake and gas pedals
Returning from a routine drive later than usual
Forgetting the destination you are driving to during the trip

The Alzheimer's Association Dementia and Driving Resource Center (www.alz.org/driving), created with support from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, provides helpful information and resources, including sample driving contracts, finding alternate transportation and getting a driving evaluation. It also includes four short videos depicting different scenarios for approaching the subject of driving and dementia. Watching the videos may give families an idea of how to start the conversation or how to respond to a particular objection.

Understand that this may be the first of many conversations about driving. Some people give up driving easily, but for others the transition can be very difficult. Remember that each situation is unique. What works for one person may be different from what works for another.