A dented bumper nobody can explain. A trip to the shop that took three hours. A parent who has started avoiding the freeway, or who got lost on a road they have driven for thirty years. Families usually notice these things one at a time and talk themselves out of each one, because the alternative is a conversation nobody wants to have.
Age alone does not make someone an unsafe driver, and many people drive safely well into old age. But conditions that become more common with age, including dementia, vision loss, stroke, Parkinson’s disease and the effects of some medications, can make driving dangerous before the person themselves notices. This guide explains how to judge the risk, how California’s process works, and how to protect a parent’s independence when the car has to go. It is general information, not legal or medical advice.
Warning Signs Worth Writing Down
Ride along, or follow in another car, more than once. Look for:
- New dents, scrapes or damage to the car, mailbox or garage door.
- Getting lost on familiar routes, or arriving much later than expected.
- Missing stop signs or signals, drifting between lanes, or stopping in traffic for no reason.
- Confusing the pedals, or difficulty turning to check over a shoulder.
- Near misses, close calls and tickets, including warnings from police.
- Other drivers honking often, or passengers who no longer want to ride along.
- Slow reactions to cars pulling out, pedestrians or changes in traffic.
Write down what you see and the date. Specific examples are far more persuasive, to the parent and to a doctor, than a general sense that something is wrong.
Start With the Doctor
Ask the parent’s doctor to review everything that can affect driving: vision, hearing, reaction time, memory and judgement, and every prescription and over-the-counter medicine. Some causes of unsafe driving are treatable. New glasses, cataract surgery, a medication change or better control of blood sugar can sometimes restore safe driving.
If you are worried, tell the doctor before the appointment, in a short letter or a message through the patient portal, with your written examples. Privacy rules limit what a doctor can tell you without consent, but they do not stop you from giving information to the doctor.
Dementia and the doctor’s duty to report
California law, in Health and Safety Code section 103900, requires physicians to report patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders, including dementia, and disorders characterised by lapses of consciousness, to the local health officer. That report is passed to the DMV, which may then contact the driver for a reexamination.
A dementia diagnosis does not automatically end a licence, particularly early on, but it means driving ability will need to be checked and will decline over time. Families who know the diagnosis is coming can plan the transition rather than having it arrive as a letter.
A Professional Driving Evaluation
If the family and the parent disagree, an independent assessment can take the argument out of the family. A comprehensive driving evaluation is usually done by an occupational therapist with specialist training in driver rehabilitation, often called a driver rehabilitation specialist. It typically includes:
- A clinical assessment of vision, memory, attention, reaction time and physical ability.
- An on-road test in a dual-control car.
- Recommendations, which might be to continue driving, to drive with limits such as daylight only or local roads, to use adaptive equipment, or to stop.
Hospitals with rehabilitation programmes are a good place to ask. Fees vary, and insurance coverage is inconsistent, so ask in advance what the evaluation costs and whether any part of it can be billed to the parent’s insurance with a doctor’s referral.
The DMV Reexamination
The California DMV can reexamine any driver whose ability to drive safely is in question. A reexamination can be triggered by a physician’s report, a police officer, the DMV’s own records, or a family member.
How a family can request one. Anyone with a concern can submit a Request for Driver Reexamination, form DS 699, to the DMV. The form asks for the driver’s details and for specific observations, so your written examples matter here too. Ask the DMV how the information you provide will be handled and whether your name may be disclosed.
What happens next. The DMV usually contacts the driver and may require some combination of:
- A vision test.
- A knowledge test.
- A driving test.
- Medical information from the driver’s doctor.
- An interview with a DMV hearing officer.
Possible outcomes include no action, a restricted licence (for example, daylight driving only, no freeways or a limited area), more frequent reexamination, or suspension or revocation of the licence. Where a driver poses an immediate danger, the DMV can act more quickly. The driver generally has a right to a hearing to challenge a suspension or revocation.
A restricted licence is often a good outcome. It lets a parent keep driving to the shop and the doctor in daylight while removing the most dangerous situations.
Having the Conversation
There is no script that makes this easy, but some approaches work better than others.
- Start early, ideally before there is a crisis, and in a calm moment, not after a near miss.
- Talk about safety and specific events, not age or ability in general. “You hit the gatepost twice this month” lands differently from “you’re too old to drive”.
- Choose the right messenger. Some parents listen more readily to a doctor, a trusted friend or an evaluator than to their own children.
- Bring a transport plan to the conversation. Losing the car means losing independence, and the conversation goes better if the alternatives are already worked out.
- Expect to have it more than once.
With dementia, reasoning may not work as the disease progresses. Families sometimes need to keep the keys, park the car elsewhere or sell it, with the doctor’s support. If someone with dementia keeps driving after being told not to, raise it with the doctor and the DMV promptly.
Keeping a Parent Moving Without the Car
A plan to replace the trips the car made is what makes the change bearable.
- Medi-Cal transportation. Medi-Cal members can get free rides to covered medical appointments, including non-medical transportation by car or rideshare for people who do not need a wheelchair van. Our guide to Medi-Cal transportation and paratransit explains how to book.
- ADA paratransit. Public transit agencies run shared-ride paratransit for people whose disability prevents them from using regular buses and trains. An eligibility application is required.
- Reduced fares. Most California transit agencies offer reduced senior and disabled fares on regular buses and trains.
- Senior transportation programmes run by cities, counties and community organisations, often for shopping and social trips. Your local Area Agency on Aging keeps a list; our Area Agency on Aging guide explains how to reach it.
- Family and friends on a schedule, with regular trips arranged in advance rather than favours requested each time.
- IHSS or a paid caregiver may accompany a person to medical appointments, depending on the hours authorised and the arrangement.
Keep an ID. A person who stops driving still needs photo identification for banks, pharmacies and travel. The DMV issues a senior identification card free of charge to Californians aged 62 and over. Apply for it before the licence is surrendered so there is no gap.
Sort out the car. Once nobody is driving it, cancel or adjust the insurance, decide whether to sell it, and keep the registration current or file the appropriate DMV notice so the parent is not billed for a car that is off the road. The money saved on insurance, fuel and maintenance can go a long way towards rides.
The Short Version
Watch and write down specific warning signs. Ask the doctor to check vision, cognition and medications, and give the doctor your examples. Remember that California doctors must report dementia diagnoses, which can lead to a DMV reexamination, and that anyone can request one with form DS 699. A professional driving evaluation can settle a family disagreement, and a restricted licence is often a good middle ground. Before the keys go, have a transport plan and a free senior ID card in place.
This guide is general information, not legal or medical advice. DMV procedures change; confirm the current process with the DMV and the person’s doctor before relying on it.