It’s hard getting old. Just ask this guy—I’m getting there myself! And with age comes the deterioration of skills, vision, and the strength needed to safely drive a vehicle down the road.

Technology Has Allowed the Elderly to Drive a Little Longer.

Because of technology, the age at which driving may become hazardous has been pushed back slightly but not that much. Power brakes and power steering are two important standard innovations that you might not have thought of, as well as automatic transmissions on most cars. Certainly newer additions are helping, such as antilock brakes, GPS nav-coms, and collision avoidance systems.

Proximity Keys Have Helped.

In the locksmithing area, it is the disappearance of the mechanical key that has helped many of the elderly with chronic arthritis or lack of basic muscle strength. Proximity keys, which are actually just electronics only, allow the aged to walk up to a car with a “proxy” key in their pocket or purse and open the door without a key. Added to that, a large number of cars are push button start and do not require the effort to start the vehicle that would be needed if a key were used.

Sometimes It’s Hard to Know Whether to Make Keys for an Elderly Person.

In my job, it has sometimes been a problem over the years to determine whether an elderly person has the right to have keys made for a vehicle. Before all the libertarians in the crowd get too upset, put yourself in the shotgun seat. Would you ride with that person down the road? Did he lie to you when he said he lost his keys, when actually what happened was that concerned family members took the keys away?

Elderly people who would normally not let a lie pass their lips foresee the desperate alternative of not being free to come and go as they please and having to depend upon others to take them shopping and other places. They will lie. I know.

Sometimes It’s Necessary to Check with Family Members.

On more than one occasion, I have checked with family members to determine if the person requesting my services should have keys made to put them behind the wheel. The results have gone both ways, and I have had very harsh words directed toward me for refusing service based on relatives’ information.

It is similar to turning down a drinking person who has had his keys taken away by friends or family. I’ve had these calls for service, too, but it is always easier to refuse a drinker than an elderly person.

One Sticky Situation Involved an Elderly Driver with a Stick Shift Car.

One of the hardest situations I ever had to make a decision on concerned an elderly lady who had a stick shift car. She called a friend of hers who worked at a dealership, and he in turn sent me out to her house to make keys because she claimed her keys had quit working. When I got to the site, the keys she gave me worked just fine. The problem was that her legs were so weak that she could not depress the clutch enough to allow the car to start.

I asked her if she had any relatives in the area, and with a phone call to her daughter, I explained the situation. I also called the friend at the dealership to fill him in. And finally, I told the lady that I couldn’t do anything for her because her existing keys worked perfectly. To see the look on her face was hard, and knowing the sense of hopelessness she must have felt was difficult to handle.

If an Elderly Loved One Shouldn’t Drive, Take the Car as Well as the Keys.

If you have a loved one who shouldn’t be driving, don’t just take the keys—take the car as well. With a valid license and registration, there is no legal reason a locksmith would not be allowed to make a key for that car. Don’t push the duty of denial of driving privileges off on the locksmith. We are just locksmiths, not psychologists or geriatricians. Unless their incapacity is obvious, it is very difficult to make a decision, but I will always err on the side of caution rather than put someone on the road who could endanger or kill another driver.

If All Is Well, We’ll Be Happy to Make Keys for the Vehicle.

Do your part, and I will do my part as best I can. And if all is well and the keys are merely lost, we will be happy to come and originate keys for their vehicle.

Consider That the End of Driving Will Come For All of Us One Day.

The time when driving must come to an end is a day we ourselves will all have to face as well, so help those elderly who will need a chauffeur to get to medical appointments, shopping, meetings, and even a road trip now and then. Put yourself in their place because eventually you will be. Something to think about. . .