Smart (and easy) strategies to get grandpa off the road

Q In the case where an elderly relative continues to drive, thinking no one will notice:

With my mother, I contacted her insurance agent and they canceled her auto insurance policy. Since she could not get anyone to underwrite her for insurance, the driving stopped. Why? Because I told her I would next contact the police and inform them of her breaking the law.

A superbig hint is to sell the car. Seeing the car in the garage each day is a reminder of just what they have lost. Get rid of it.

Betty Fraser San Jose A Excellent advice, Betty. Now for more strategies on getting the elderly to give up their car keys. Q I’m now 83. I sent a letter to my children seven years ago stating that when they tell me to stop driving, I will. I know it will be difficult for me to admit that I need to stop driving. But I’ve seen family members and friends who drove far longer than they should have. I do not want to be one of them.

Walter D’Ardenne Cupertino A I admire you for having the wisdom to calmly discuss this well in advance. Q My late father continued to drive even after his doctor ordered him to stop. We feared he’d cause an accident. My sister, Dale, cleverly put an anti-theft “club” on the steering wheel. It was the first time I ever heard my father curse (at us!), but there was nothing he could do. He stopped driving. Guy Lohman A A little cursing never hurt. Q We knew Mom’s driving was getting worse, and I remember trying to work that invisible passenger-side brake pedal pretty hard the last few times I rode with her. She ultimately drove into the back of a big SUV at a stoplight, totaled her car and got an ambulance ride to the hospital. Fortunately, everyone was OK.

We tried to get her another car, but she wasn’t able to engage in the process, so we let it drop.

It’s a tough problem. I’m hoping Google will be ready when it’s my turn.

Pamela Metcalf Fremont A

Me, too. Q We moved the seat all the way forward on my late mother-in-law’s car so she couldn’t get in, nor could she sit down. She wasn’t able to readjust the seat and never drove the car again. Sue Kayton Menlo Park A

Whatever works. Q When my father determined that my grandmother’s Alzheimer’s made it unsafe for her to drive, he removed the distributor cap on her Rambler and told her that the car couldn’t be driven because it wouldn’t pass the smog test.

Steve Crawford El Cerrito A Thank goodness for the smog test ruse. Q How did my brother and I stop our elderly mother from driving? Simple. We sold her car! End of story. Steve Dini San Jose A And the end of today’s column.