DEAR WORRIED BUT NOT BOSSY IN BOSSIER:  The older I get the less old 70 seems to me.  I have numerous friends in their late 70s to mid 80s that still drive and do so quite capably.  I do sympathize with you, though, about your concern for your parents.  If worrying were a profession, I’d be wealthier than Elon Musk! According to the Federal Highway Administration, there were over 35 million drivers 65 or older in the U. S. in 2023. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, that same year there were 7,891 people 65 and older killed in traffic crashes in the U. S., which accounted for 19 percent of all traffic fatalities.

The most important thing you can do is talk to your parents about your concerns. If you haven’t ridden with your parents recently, ask them to make a day trip with you and let them take turns driving.  If they do well with maintaining a safe speed and keep a safe distance from other vehicles, stay within their lane and use their turning signals consistently, they are doing better than the majority of drivers on the roads these days. This should alleviate the majority of your concerns, but you can still ask your parents to provide you with their travel dates and provide you with what their travel route will be, make sure that their vehicle is capable of making the trip, and that the tires are in good condition. You can also ask them to split their drive up over two days. 10 hours in the car is hard for anyone, especially if there is  heavy traffic or gridlock along the way.

Sign your parents up for a roadside assistance service if they don’t already have one, and make sure that they have a fully stocked emergency kit, tire inflator, and jumper cables in their vehicle. Have them check in with you periodically on their travel days or, better yet, have them download a location sharing app on their phones so you can check on their progress whenever you feel the need.

If you are convinced that your folks cannot safely make a long-distance trip or that it may be time for them to give up driving altogether but you don’t think they will listen to you, ask them to download a monitoring app that records their driving habits, such as hard breaking. I highly recommend AARP’s free app that monitors driving habits as well as the one that provides 24/7 crash assistance. You do not have to be a member of AARP and they do not share the data with insurance companies. You can also ask to go with them to their next doctor’s visit to discuss the matter and ask for a professional opinion. In the meantime, offer to drive them to see their friends or make arrangements for the friends to come see them. Another option would be to find alternative modes of transportation, like flying, taking a train or bus.