The Elderly Driver It was late in the afternoon on a sunny April day. Maybe it was the sun in her eyes, but 82-year-old Janet found herself in her car in a ditch at the side of the road, unsure of how she got there. Once at the hos­pital, her son and daughter joined her and heard the good news that Janet had escaped with just a broken arm. The police report strongly suggested that she had swerved off the road, but it was not clear why.
This was not Janet's first driving "episode", in fact, her driving had been a constant worry to her daughter for over 2 years. Her daughter often offered to take her Mom shopping and insisted that she do the driving when they were together. "Don't you trust me?" was the only thanks the daughter received. When alone, Janet continued to drive herself, staying off the free­ way and increasingly driving only during the day. She knew it was not as easy as it used to be, but it was her lifeline to independence.
Then, a few months after the April incident, the form for Janet's license renewal arrived. A vision test and a physical exam were required, along with a doctor's certification that Janet was in good health and capable of driving; however, no road test was required. So Janet made a doctor's appointment, and at the end of it, she left the forms with a note for the doctor saying, "To the best doctor I have ever had. Thanks for filling this out. You know how much driving means to me."
On Janet's way home from the doctor's office, it happened. She was driving down the road when sud­denly she was crossing that yellow line and heading toward an oncoming car. The teenage driver might have been going a little fast, but Janet was in the wrong lane and the head-on collision killed the 16-year-old passenger in the front seat who was not wearing a seat belt. The 18-year-old driver walked away from the col­lision unharmed, thanks to a seat belt and an inflated airbag.
Janet was never the same emotionally. And despite escaping the collision with just a few bruises, the loss of her driver's license symbolized the end for her. Those lost weekly shopping trips and the strangers in the assisted living center were not the same as liv­ing in her own home. The young man in the collision screaming for help woke her up almost every night. It was only a year after the collision when Janet died, and it was just like she had said: "Take my license away and it will kill me."
Discussion Questions
How does this case reflect the important issue of balancing the legal rights of the individual and the rights of society as a whole?
What role do you believe healthcare providers should play in implementing driving laws and regulations?
Identify any changes you would make to pre­vent the types of outcomes that occurred in this case
How would you communicate the lessons learned in this case to new and inexperienced drivers?