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Community Manager
April 18, 2021

Retirees, When Are You Giving Up Driving? 👴👵

  • April 18, 2021
  • 22 replies
  • 32527 views
  • Discussion created on April 18, 2021.
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  • Lol, cute .gif of an old lady driving with her dog looking petrified is attached to this post!! 🤣😂 Poor furbaby. 😞
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22 replies

Community Manager
April 18, 2021

💥April 18, 2021💥

 

Me, would like to do it NOW at age 63, but luv seeing my old lady (2006 Hyundai Elantra) parked out front = my ESCAPE from my upstairs neighbors from HELL/lol. Once I find a Tiny Cottage to rent in Salem, Virginia, I will probably turn my keys in when she dies of old age. Driving STRESSES me out here. Folks riding your BUMPER. Over the years (started driving at age 18 in St. Louis, Missouri - Honda Civic Hatchback), I have been REAR ENDED and not my fault. No speeding tickets. Lol, got pulled over and WARNED as soon as I drove the car off the lot. That SCARED me enough. Grateful cop knew it was an innocent mistake.

Contributor ⭐⭐⭐
April 18, 2021

Being 63 this year myself I feel I have many more good years to go. At least until my wife tells me to stop.

Community Manager
April 18, 2021

💥April 18, 2021💥

 

Hi @postman29 lol, yes, she wants to make sure you stick around. Thanks for stoppibg by to join our discussion 🙂

DeahWA
Conversationalist ⭐
April 18, 2021

They will have to pry my cold dead hands off my Mazda hatchback's stick shift. LOL

fffred
Conversationalist ⭐⭐⭐
July 21, 2021

@DeahWA Hooray for stick shifts! I miss mine, I gave that up when I realized that wife was not going to be able to drive that in the event of a road emergency (eg: I become ill while driving in the boonies, she wouldn't be able to drive stick).

Contributor ⭐
April 27, 2021

I love driving so it will be a bummer when I have to do so. Sixty five and still drive a motorcycle too. My dad is 90 and still driving, though mostly during the day and around town. He doesn't like to drive new places far away, which is probably a good idea.

Community Manager
April 27, 2021

💥April 27, 2021💥

 

Hi @zephyr321215 thank you for stopping by to join our discussion 🙂 🙂 🙂

GailL1
Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐
April 27, 2021

I don't drive much now.  My car is older than yours, @Anonymous now - 2001 Honda Accord EX, purchased it new in 2001 and now has 130,000 miles.

Guess I will stop driving when and if I become a safety hazard or I can no longer find my keys or maybe the actual car.  So far, so good.  I go a few places and all those places only allows me to do right hand turns; that way hopefully, I won't slow down anybody else by me trying to turn left.

IT‘S ALWAYS SOMETHING . . . . .. . . . Roseanne Roseannadanna
Contributor ⭐
May 1, 2025

In fact, we can clearly know whether we can still drive, so when we know that we can no longer drive the car perfectly, we must stop in time.

Contributor ⭐
July 2, 2021

I am currently 64 this year.  I know my mom had dementia and we had to hide her car keys so that she would no longer drive but we kept her car for her until she passed away because it always seem to comfort her that she could look out the window and see that her car was still there.  I drive very little since retirement.  I have only put 7,000 miles on my car that I purchased brand new. in 2012.  I think when it gets to point that I am behind the wheel and start not knowing exactly where I am - that will be a sign to me that I need to give up the keys. 

Community Manager
July 2, 2021

💥Friday - July 2, 2021💥

 

Thank you so much for stopping by to join our discussion @jacksc01 😁 Have awesome day/night!

ToniS570313
Contributor ⭐⭐
August 17, 2021

I'm not, they gonna have to make me stop,,,LOL

SummerOnTheWay1
Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐
August 17, 2023

Lol, when I cannot SEE or REMEMBER where I am going!  🤣😂

WebWiseWoman
Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐
September 7, 2023

How 'bout when I made this tough decision? When I may not realize danger to others?

 

A wonderful elderly lady basically mowed down a junior hs track team, unwittingly, due to lose of dexterity/sight/response time.

 

In 1986 I was DUIed following office party and meds; both the officer and supervisor were very nice and even mentioned I could be their spouse... hours later a DUI murdered a motorcyclist on the 91 due to dui; I felt she might have been me had I not been stopped.

 

When I realized I could no longer see 180 degrees while driving, not could I realize which speed was appropriate I stopped driving.

 

It's been an extreme inconvenience, but I feel I've made the right decision. I so hope others will recognize when they should stop driving.

 

Just as too many young drivers have caused rampant collisions lately, we older need to lead by example...

SummerOnTheWay1
Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐
April 14, 2025

📎  Made it to 2025 at age 67, still driving and HOPE to continue for more years.

 

I may NOT use my 2006 Hyundai Elantra that much anymore, but I am SO GRATEFUL to have her.

 

And MORE GRATEFUL to still have my Driver's License.

 

Nothing against UBER, but.....

 

Take care,

Nicole  👵

Contributor ⭐
May 1, 2025

This is a very cool option, but we have to drive it under the premise of ensuring our safety.

Contributor ⭐⭐
June 24, 2025

This is such a fun and thoughtful topic 😊
My grandfather drove until he was 87 but only to church and the grocery store! We used to tease him that his car knew the way better than he did 😂

I think giving up driving isn’t about age, but about feeling safe and confident.
Sometimes the hardest part is accepting that it’s okay to slow down.

Curious to hear others’ stories too! When did you or your loved ones decide to hand over the keys?

Warm wishes to all 💛
– Anna

WebWiseWoman
Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐
June 24, 2025

You are so right, Anna! I quit driving just before Covid, when I recognized I couldn't ignore my loss of attention to my surroundings. I knew then I might harm others, so stepped aside and sold "Bessie" (my reliable Jeep) so I was no longer a "driver"...

 

Perhaps the Covid lock-downs eased my withdrawal, since going out wasn't a good thing; but either way, I don't regret giving up driving. There are so many people I might have harmed by driving when I shouldn't have; I consider them worthy of my being honest of myself...

SettledSue
Contributor ⭐
August 9, 2025

 I am 74 and am a nervous driver. I hope to be able to drive for many more years but have noticed that the people I know tend to stop driving in their late 80’s or early 90’s. For me it would probably be earlier, maybe in my early 80’s.