Driving. Is it time you put the brakes on it?

Here in the UK, there’s no actual legal maximum age where you have to stop driving. Indeed, according to the DVLA, there are currently 510 people aged 100 and over who hold a full licence – the oldest being 108!

Of course, everyone’s different, and determining when you may need to consider hanging up your driving gloves is likely to be a complex decision based on several factors. These will include your overall physical and mental health, driving conditions in your particular area, and your driving ability. (Been having more than your fair share of prangs recently?)

Being as honest as you can about your abilities, and listening carefully to your family, friends, loved-ones and healthcare professionals is really important – and making the right decision could even be a life-saver.

To help you reach that decision, here are some key warning signs:

Difficulty seeing or hearing – Both your sight and your hearing are crucial for safe driving, so if you’ve started to struggle to see road signs, or hear approaching traffic, then it may be time to stop.

Memory problems – If you get lost easily or have trouble remembering directions, again, this may be the time to stop driving.

Medications – Certain meds you may be on can affect your ability to drive safely – making you feel drowsy, intoxicated even, and effect your concentration, reaction times and judgement. So talk to your GP about the side effects of your meds and how they may impact on your driving.

Near-misses or accidents – As mentioned earlier, if you’ve had more than the odd prang recently, and perhaps several near-misses, this could be nature’s way of telling yo to stop…before you get into a really serious accident.

Out and about having stopped driving

Without question, having your own car – to go where you want, when you want – brings a great deal of freedom and independence. But just because the time is now right to stop driving, this doesn’t have to mean you have to feel like a prisoner in your own home. Beyond getting really familiar with your local public transport options – routes, timetables etc – here are some other suggestions to help you get out and about:

Lift-sharing – Lift-sharing, available from such websites as Liftsharing.com, enables organised car sharing by connecting those people travelling in the same direction so they can travel together and share the costs – and do their bit towards reducing pollution and congestion.

Taxi-sharing – Taxi-sharing schemes, such as those offered by the likes of UberXShare, means you can get a taxi to where you need to go and save around 20% on your fare, as you’ll be sharing with other passengers. UberXShare maintain that this should only add around 8 minutes to your journey time.

Community Transport – Look into whether there are any community transport services available in your area. These services are often run by local charities and organisations to help people with limited mobility gain access to essential services – and to get to and from social events. Some may even offer door-to-door transportation in accessible vehicles. A good place to start your search is with the Community Transport Association.

Mobility Scooter – OK, not very glamorous, but if you have trouble walking due to injury, physical disability or a medical condition, a mobility scooter could be the way ahead. Literally! They can be used on the pavement, and, if it’s a Class 3 type, on certain roads. They come in various sizes and models – some giving a range of up to 45 miles on one charge – so you can choose the one that best suits your needs and your budget.

Get it delivered

If you used your car frequently for the weekly grocery shop, or for other purchases, just switch to a supermarket delivery service, and take full advantage of shopping online where everything is delivered straight to your door.

As you’ll discover, it really isn’t the end of the road just because you now need to stop driving. And if you’ve already stopped and want to share your comments, tips or suggestions, the section below is the place to go – we really value your contribution.