Seniors behind the wheel: Are you concerned?

The number of seniors on the road and their driving skills or lack thereof is a major concern to British Columbians, according to the results of survey released today by the B.C. Automobile Association.

The BCAAfound 72 per cent of driverswho took part in the online study are concerned about the safety of senior drivers.

Morethan half of study participants over 65 saidthey wereconcerned about how safe other driversin their own age group are when on the road.

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Of adults with agingparents who still drive, 63 per cent said they have not had a conversation about aging and safe driving, and 41per cent said they didn'tknow how to spark that conversation.

People are worried each time their aging loved one gets into the car to drive but, they dont know what to do, says MarkDonnelly,BCAA'sdirector of communication and community impact.

This is an important issue and will become even more important as more drivers age in this province," he said.

Donnelly saidBCAA has now launched a new web toolkit to providefamilies with advice, a conversation guide and a video that may helpthem in their discussions on road safetywith older family members.

An accident forced the conversation for Katherine Bickford, whose mother who lives in Nanaimo and still drives at 78.

"She called me and told me she rear-ended a car in the rain because she got confused when trying to get in the left hand turn on the Island Highway. I thought it was a bit of a wake up call for me and my mom," said Bickford.

BCAA's survey also revealedthat many older drivers are starting to limit their time behind the wheel, or are taking other measure to ensure they are fit to drive.

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Almost all of the seniors surveyed 94 per cent are taking such measures, including avoid high traffic hours, driving only when it is light out, or gettingregular health exams.

The online survey of 801 people was conducted forBCAAby Insights West.

Have you tried to havea conversation about safety with an older driver in your family? How did it go?

Tell us in the comments below.