Driving Us Crazy

New help for older people who are shaky behind the wheel--and their children

The first thing Peter Haugen noticed was that the dents in his mom's car were multiplying. Then the Osterville, Mass., software engineer learned that his mother, 85, had confused the brake and the gas pedal and ended up, unhurt, atop a stone wall. He pleaded with her to stop driving. He spoke to her doctor. He even persuaded her to see a geropsychologist.

Nothing worked. Like many older drivers, she clung to her license to preserve her mobility as well as her sense of independence and identity. But on July, 16, 2003, Haugen decided he had to do more. On that day,...

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