Re: Need help taking away driving privileges....

We had to do this to my Dad's mother and she was not happy at all.

Basically, we took her car keys away and her car. My brother purchased the car after repairs.

And we made sure someone always saw her everyday to take her to the store, or to keep her company. It seemed to make the anger dissipate after a while.

Re: Need help taking away driving privileges....

I know exactly what you are going through. My great aunt who was partially blind, partially deaf, couldnt sit still was still living alone and driving (locally) . And the worst part is she was the WORST driver.. I mean she sat with the boobies on the wheel, it was bad. We wanted her to stop driving for a long time.

She got into a minor accident but since her car was so old it pretty much totalled it. She was fine and luckily we said thats it you aren't getting another car. It was a rough battle but she never did get another car.

She used cabs or Access a ride (something like that). It was cheap and she was never going that far.

Re: Need help taking away driving privileges....

I agree with others, take her to her doctor and ask that person to assess her driviing ability. I wouldn't get insurance involved for the same reason another poster stated, she may insist upon driving anyway.

I hate to say it, but I think the DMV needs to assess older drivers more often, maybe once a year or so. But they don't, so that's neither here nor there. I also think if we had better mass transit some older people might give up their cars more easily--I can't really blame them for not doing it in a way, you are really trapped without a car in the suburbs.

I'm sorry it has come to this though. My grandfather refused to keep driving, and his doctor thought he was okay to drive, but he was not. I think my uncle finally took the keys and demanded he no longer drive. He didn't like it, but that's what he had to do.