Dementia and driving: when is it time to give up the keys?

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Things to look for outside vehicle
  • The individual becomes disorientated or lost in familiar surroundings
  • Needs reminding about personal care
  • Decreased co-ordination
  • Mood swings, irritability
  • Difficulty in multi-tasking
  • Difficulty judging space and/or distance
  • Difficulty with decision-making
Things to look for inside vehicle while driving
  • Driving too slowly
  • Lack of distance judgment
  • Stops for no reason
  • Lost on a familiar route
  • Drifts into wrong or different lane
  • Poor parking
  • Fails to signal, or does so incorrectly
  • Forgets rules of the road

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