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GoodLifeFamilyMag.com MAY JUNE 2016 75 shopping to the doctor to religious services out for a meal or even to social events. We can escort our clients anywhere that they need to go either in their own car or in the caregivers car. Being able to assure the senior that they can still get where they need to go can alleviate their fears. Getting where they need to go safely. Thats the biggest concern whether youre talking about a teen driver or an aging parent. Are the dangers on the road really that bad For teens they most definitely are. A recent article on teen driving in the New York Times quotes Dr. Nichole Morris a researcher at the University of Minnesota Among this age group ages 16 to 17 death in motor vehicle accidents outstrips suicide cancer and other types of accidents. Dr. Morris said Cars have gotten safer roads have gotten safer but teen drivers have not. Curtis Howard senior legal advisor to the Plano Police Department gives the sad reminder that In Plano our citizens are more likely to be injured or killed due toatrafficincidentthanbeinginvolvedinaviolentcrime. Attorney Rob Chaiken who is a specialist in complex civil litigation and serious personal injury claims says Teenage driving is the biggest threat and risk challenge out there for kids and families. Dr. John Saad Executive Medical Director of Emergency Services at Medical Center of Plano says Clearly teens and elderly populations are at a higher risk of injury from motor vehicle accidents. Dr. Saad has seen that those dangers too often lead to injuries and sadly deaths. Teens have the lowest rate of seatbelt use are more likely to speed allow less room between vehicles and are more likely to drive impaired. The elderly are more likely to wear seat belts limit driving in bad weather and are less likely to drive after consuming alcohol but they are also more susceptible to injuries. Its their decreased vision cognitive changes and decreased reaction time that can lead to accidents. For teens its behavioral for the elderly its physical says Dr. Saad. OK so we need to prepare our teen drivers for the road. How do we do that In Texas the graduated drivers license program implements a two-phase process before teens get a regular adult license. Parents have the option of teaching the drivers education material themselves or parents can look to a local driving school. Robert Chaiken reminds us that ultimately parents need to assess both the childs technical competency driving and also their maturity level and overall behavior to determine if they are ready to drive. Because in addition to what the law provides parents need to implement their own set of rules and enforce them - such as hours of operation geographic limitations no cell phone use music control passenger limitations drinking and drugs etc. If your child has demonstrated an inability or unwillingness to comply with your rules in other areas of day to day life then it might not be time to let the child drive. Sanger agrees. I think its important for parents to be talking with kids about the concept that with freedom comes responsibility. Help kids understand that we have a responsibility to keep not only them safe but other people on the street and in the community safe. She believes that if a parent has any concern about their teens ability to be safe on the road especially any concern about alcohol or drug use while driving they should lose the privilege of driving altogether. Period. Chaiken also reminds us that just because your teen has had a license for a while without any incidents does not mean that all is well. Its important to continue monitoring their driving habits. Its harder to prepare Mom or Dad to stop driving. Despite the difficulty you dont want to wait for something to go terribly wrong before the decision is made for them. Sometimes seemingly drastic measures may be necessary. When Marsha Holms family determined her mother should no longer be on the road they called her doctor for assistance. When her mother went in for an appointment the doctor called the DMV right there in front of her and told them her license should be suspended. That ended the discussion pretty quickly. Susan Perrys father moved to an assistive living center and they told him he wasnt allowed to take his car. She said that he asked about it for a while until she finally told him that they had sold it. By that time he understood that he was okay without it. Kristy Howards cousins could not get her aunt to give over the keys. One day her aunt was involved in a minor fender bender but it destroyed the front tire and rim. Her cousins told the aunt that the car was totaled. In reality they had it repaired and sold it. Not being straightforward with your parents may seem dishonest but it can allow them to save their dignity somewhat. Ultimately what we want is for our children and our parents to be safe. Making the right decisions about how to grant and take away the independence that comes with driving should not be taken lightly. Watching your kids grow and assume new responsibilities and having the privilege of taking care of the ones who have given so much to us are both reasons to celebrate. continued from GivingtheKeysTakingtheKeys Page 66 I think it is a good idea to have the kids take drivers Ed classes where a professional is involved in teaching and provides a more objective evaluation on the competency issue. - Robert Chaiken attorney Chaiken Chaiken THE SANDWICH GENERATION