Omaha World-Herald: Giving Up the Keys Can Be a Health Risk

Eugene Fisher remembers feeling down when he had to give up driving for six months because of a foot infection. Suddenly the 83-year old retired Omaha physician couldn’t just hop in the car and meet friends for early morning coffee or zip to the hardware store by himself.

Giving up the car keys is tough on older drivers, and the result can be more than just a loss of freedom. A report being released today by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety says giving up driving appears to contribute to an increased risk for depression, accelerated declines in cognitive ability and other health problems.

World-Herald reporter Mike O'Connor spoke with Methodist physician, Dr. Abel Cruz and Kelina Moore, coordinator of the Methodist Driver Rehabilitation Program for this feature on driving cessation and the aging population.