If your parents are elderly, there may come a point where they need to stop driving. Hopefully, they will reach this decision alone.
If you need to push them to make that choice, here is some information you could share with them:
A crash now could have more serious consequences
Maybe your parent tells you that they survived a car crash once before. Or they explain how their current car has airbags and other technology that their previous car did not.
Explain that you become more fragile with age. That is why you can fall out of trees unharmed as a child, but even falling off a chair could lead to a broken hip for an older adult. What’s worse, if they are injured in a crash, their body may struggle to fight infections or recover full movement.
They are more likely to crash than when they were younger
Does your parent sometimes struggle to remember where they put their car keys? It’s a sign their mind is not as sharp as it once was. If you have to repeat things because they didn’t hear them the first time, it’s proof their hearing is not as good as before. That could prevent them from hearing a driver sound a horn in warning.
They probably also wear glasses now because their eyesight is not as strong as it once was. It will be more difficult to see other road users or hazards.
Your parent might take offense if they feel you are criticizing their ability to drive safely. Yet they need to remember they are not the only ones on the road. Other drivers pose a danger all the time, and if they cannot see or hear them as well as before, they are more likely to suffer serious injuries in a crash that they struggle to overcome.