Majority of Americans over 75 still drive, but some report slower reaction times, tiring easily

One in six American drivers surveyed, aged 75 or older, say they “tire easily or have slow reaction times” while 9% of respondents said they got lost or confused while driving, Liberty Mutual Insurance announced Tuesday.

In a press release, Boston-based Liberty Mutual revealed some results of the survey, commissioned by Liberty Mutual and conducted by market research firm ORC International.

“The study included 1,000 telephone interviews among a national sample of seniors aged 75 or older,” stated Liberty Mutual, which says it’s the sixth largest auto and home insurers in the United States. “Of these, 582 reported that they still drive, while 418 stated that they no longer drive or no longer have a valid driver’s license.”

Forty-one per cent of respondents said they drive every day and 38% drive several times a week.

More than three in four (78%) “drive regularly, even after reporting declining physical abilities,” Liberty Mutual stated. About one in six (16%) said they “tire easily or have slow reaction times.” Thirteen per cent of respondents reported “difficulty seeing or hearing” and 9% reported they were “getting lost or feeling confused” while driving.

“While nearly all senior drivers would consider limiting or stopping their driving if presented with the right reason, most are hesitant about the idea of life without driving,” Liberty Mutual stated.

Six per cent of respondents “report having had a discussion about their driving abilities,” though 84% said that “they would be open to talking” about the issue the issue, with their children or a doctor for example.

“The majority of seniors who have not yet had a conversation report they would feel most comfortable being approached by their children (66 percent) or doctor (60 percent).”

The survey was based on 1,000 phone interviews with Americans aged 75 or older.

“Findings from the study can be interpreted at a 95 percent confidence interval with an error margin of ± 3.94% for drivers, and ± 4.69% for non-drivers,” Liberty Mutual stated.

“We know from our surveys that seniors are more receptive to conversations about driving than their children assume, which often prevents conversations from happening,” stated David Melton, Liberty Mutual’s managing director of global safety, in a release. “In reality, seniors are usually so receptive to these conversations that many stop driving within six months of talking about it with their loved ones. These are tough conversations, but caregivers should take comfort knowing that these discussions are typically easier than expected and usually have positive outcomes.”