The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above average drivers.
-Dave Barry, "Things That It Took Me 50 Years to Learn"
I recently sat through a clinic appointment where the staff physician had to tell a patient that it was not safe for him to drive anymore. The patient had been an Army Infantry officer in the Korean War, he had worked into his 70’s and now he was having memory loss. He was very angry at the news, and I could not help but think about how I would feel when not be safe to drive. I imagined that I would feel the same way. What does driving mean to us?” Words that come to mind include: Freedom, Independence, and Being Grown up, Going places, Excitement, Fun, Adventure, Protection, and Status.
As we age, our physical faculties diminish; we can lose now only our hearing, eyesight, focus, processing and reaction time and physical strength. When we have to stop driving because it is not safe anymore we lose the intangible things including a part of our identity.
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