Knowing When to Stop Driving as Skills Change With Age

[SargeW]

My 2023 Ram came with the big touch screen, but several functions are voice only when driving, like searching for directions. Voice calls and reading texts are also voice only. And even tuning radio stations are voice only presets when the vehicle is in motion. Most of the features are quite helpful eliminate the need to handle a phone.

Phones in general are the primary cause of many vehicle crashes, some fatal.

 

[Joezeppy]

I'm "only" 59 but already dislike driving in some conditions such as dark and raining. I mad it to 49 before needing reading glasses and now have trifocals/progressive lenses . Who knows how time will treat me? My father still does ok at 88 although he limits to daytime driving as much as he can. It's tough to watch a guy who drove massive fire trucks for 20 years have trouble backing up a compact SUV. Took away mom's keys last year at 83 - she had a hard time with it and was mad at the family for about 6 months but then one day it just sort of clicked and she actually said "I know I shouldn't be driving any more" - she seems completely over it now, thankfully.

 

[jymbee]

Farmall tractor still had a hand crank in front, no fob, no battery, but it did start every time.

Been there, done that!

 

[jymbee]

We always parked our John Deere B tractor on a hill behind the barn at the end of the day. That way we could just let it roll down to start it, instead of cranking the flywheel by hand.

I employed a similar strategy with a variety of tractors, trucks, and cars over the years.

 

[garyb1st]

Never had a tractor but recall doing something similar with my 1955 chev. One to push and one to pop the clutch.

 

[LarsMac]

My 2023 Ram came with the big touch screen, but several functions are voice only when driving, like searching for directions. Voice calls and reading texts are also voice only. And even tuning radio stations are voice only presets when the vehicle is in motion. Most of the features are quite helpful eliminate the need to handle a phone.

Phones in general are the primary cause of many vehicle crashes, some fatal.

Too true.
I don't do my phone when driving. Years ago, while I was working, I had headphones and could make hands-free calls and keep driving, but I have often found that, for me, at least, a simple conversation can become a distraction while driving, so I stopped enabling phone use. My phone is silenced while I am on the move.
I often don't even like listening to the GPS.

 

[DonTom]

With the engine running.

I wouldn't do that in an ICV.

I recall one time a car parked next to ours (many years ago-also parked) who did that while we were gone for a short while. It could have killed our dog from the exhaust, perhaps almost did. I am glad Tom & I got back there in time or we would have had a dead dog.

-Don- Big Creek, NV

 

[DonTom]

But you have to know what commands are available with voice. I

Not really. Often if you just make yourself clear, it works no matter how you say it.

99% of my guesses for a function I never used before, work fine with my voice without checking anything. Often (always?)there are several ways for the same command.

Such as the very first time I needed to use my defogger, I simply pressed the button on my Tesla steering wheel and said "turn on defogger" and it came on. I rarely find the need to look up any commands and those few are only the rarely used ones.

-Don- Big Creek Camp, NV

 

[DonTom]

They all sound great, until they quit working. Then you end up talking to yourself, trying to figure out how to get things done, without the electronic assistants.
Safe travels and all the best.

Of course anything can break, such as a car that will not start. But for only voice commands to stop working, I never heard of that happening.

-Don- Big Creek Camp, NV

 

[NY_Dutch]

I wouldn't do that in an ICV.

I recall one time a car parked next to ours (many years ago-also parked) who did that while we were gone for a short while. It could have killed our dog from the exhaust, perhaps almost did. I am glad Tom & I got back there in time or we would have had a dead dog.

-Don- Big Creek, NV

My RAV was properly maintained and did not leak exhaust fumes system into the car. If it had, the CO detector would have alerted me.

 

[DonTom]

My RAV was properly maintained and did not leak exhaust fumes system into the car. If it had, the CO detector would have alerted me.

True. It only kills the dogs parked next to yours with your engine running.

-Don- Big Creek, NV

 

[NY_Dutch]

True. It only kills the dogs parked next to yours with your engine running.

-Don- Big Creek, NV

Now you're getting a bit extreme. You've never sat in a running vehicle in a parking lot or traffic jam? How many dogs in adjacent vehicles would you have killed?

 

[DonTom]

Now you're getting a bit extreme. You've never sat in a running vehicle in a parking lot or traffic jam? How many dogs in adjacent vehicles would you have killed?

No comparison being next to a parked cars exhaust, as happened to us. I assume another ten minutes of that and we would have come back to a dead dog.

Yes, I have been in traffic jams so bad that everybody turned off their engines. Fortunately, I have yet to experience that in 100 degree plus heat where ICVs will be forced to run their engines to stay cool at a dead stop.

"

People Killed by Exhaust in the USA​

In the United States, vehicle exhaust is a leading cause of premature death due to air pollution:

• Recent Estimates: A 2024/2026 analysis by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) attributes approximately 41,800 premature deaths annually to vehicle pollution in the U.S. [[web_results](query:ICCT vehicle pollution deaths USA 2024)].
• Historical Context: A widely cited 2013 study by MIT estimated a higher figure of 53,000 premature deaths per year specifically from road transportation emissions. Other studies suggest a range between 20,000 and 58,000 deaths depending on the pollutants measured (PM2.5 vs. ozone) and the year of data [[web_results](queryIT study vehicle emissions deaths USA)].
• Rate: Recent reports characterize this as roughly five deaths every hour due to car exhaust [[web_results](query:five deaths per hour car exhaust USA)].

Dogs Killed by Exhaust in the USA​

There are no specific statistics available for the number of dogs killed annually by car exhaust fumes (carbon monoxide poisoning) in the U.S.

• Data Gap: While the ASPCA and CDC track carbon monoxide poisoning (approx. 500 human deaths/year), they do not publish separate mortality figures for pets. Experts note that pets are likely affected in many household poisoning cases, but exact numbers are unrecorded [[web_results](queryet carbon monoxide poisoning deaths statistics USA)].
• Comparison: In contrast, approximately 100,000 dogs die annually in the U.S. from vehicle collisions (being hit by cars), and an older extrapolation estimated up to 6 million dogs and cats killed on roads (though this figure is debated and refers to physical impacts, not exhaust) [[web_results](query:dogs killed by cars USA statistics)].

https://www.aspca.org/news/protecting-your-pets-and-your-family-carbon-monoxide-poisoning


https://theicct.org/pr-vehicle-poll...ths-23100-asthma-cases-in-the-u-s-every-year/




https://www.autonocion.com/us/cars-pollution-american-deaths-study/

​

 

[SargeW]

The voice commands in the Ram are using Android Auto and Google. I also use Google for maps and routing. The Google interface is pretty spot on, there is only a few times that I have to repeat a location to get the correct response. The Ram also came with on board mapping and GPS. That system is TOM TOM though, and not very sophisticated. It will only recognize a list of canned responses. I rarely use it.

 

[NY_Dutch]

No comparison being next to a parked cars exhaust, as happened to us. I assume another ten minutes of that and we would have come back to a dead dog.

Yes, I have been in traffic jams so bad that everybody turned off their engines. Fortunately, I have yet to experience that in 100 degree plus heat where ICVs will be forced to run their engines to stay cool at a dead stop.

"

People Killed by Exhaust in the USA​

In the United States, vehicle exhaust is a leading cause of premature death due to air pollution:

• Recent Estimates: A 2024/2026 analysis by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) attributes approximately 41,800 premature deaths annually to vehicle pollution in the U.S. [[web_results](query:ICCT vehicle pollution deaths USA 2024)].
• Historical Context: A widely cited 2013 study by MIT estimated a higher figure of 53,000 premature deaths per year specifically from road transportation emissions. Other studies suggest a range between 20,000 and 58,000 deaths depending on the pollutants measured (PM2.5 vs. ozone) and the year of data [[web_results](queryIT study vehicle emissions deaths USA)].
• Rate: Recent reports characterize this as roughly five deaths every hour due to car exhaust [[web_results](query:five deaths per hour car exhaust USA)].

Dogs Killed by Exhaust in the USA​

There are no specific statistics available for the number of dogs killed annually by car exhaust fumes (carbon monoxide poisoning) in the U.S.

• Data Gap: While the ASPCA and CDC track carbon monoxide poisoning (approx. 500 human deaths/year), they do not publish separate mortality figures for pets. Experts note that pets are likely affected in many household poisoning cases, but exact numbers are unrecorded [[web_results](queryet carbon monoxide poisoning deaths statistics USA)].
• Comparison: In contrast, approximately 100,000 dogs die annually in the U.S. from vehicle collisions (being hit by cars), and an older extrapolation estimated up to 6 million dogs and cats killed on roads (though this figure is debated and refers to physical impacts, not exhaust) [[web_results](query:dogs killed by cars USA statistics)].

Protecting Your Pets and Your Family from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning


Vehicle pollution responsible for 41,800+ deaths, 23,100+ asthma cases in the U.S. every year - International Council on Clean Transportation
You check the crash-test stars before you buy, but the thing about a car most likely to shorten your life isn't the crash, it's the exhaust, and a health report finds nearly half of American kids now live where the air is unhealthy to breathe

​

My RAV was well sealed and equipped with a CO detector due to my wife's COPD. You're comparing it to a years old car in unknown condition. Your article is in reference to air pollution from vehicle exhaust, a well known problem that has nothing to do with a specific vehicle left running for a brief period. It occurs to me, there's one factor you're not considering in my case of leaving the engine and A/C running in regards to killing my dog. The running A/C fan was drawing in outside air through the vent at the base of the windshield, positive pressurizing the car interior. The likelihood that exhaust from a vehicle parked adjacent would rise high enough to be drawn into my car would approach zero.

I don't know about you, but I'm ready to get back to the thread subject.

 

[DonTom]

A/C running in regards to killing my dog.

No, I am concerned about you killing other dogs, like what almost happened to ours, from the car parked next to ours.

-Don- Big Creek Camp, NV

 

[NY_Dutch]

No, I am concerned about you killing other dogs, like what almost happened to ours, from the car parked next to ours.

-Don- Big Creek Camp, NV

Don't park next to badly maintained vehicles that are spewing exhaust fumes with your windows open. Your car in good shape left with the engine and A/C running would have protected your dog. Car exhaust is hot and rises as it exits the exhaust pipe at the rear of the car, but quickly cools to ambient and either drops or drifts away while being diluted by the atmosphere.

And with that I'm done here.

 

[DonTom]

Don't park next to badly maintained vehicles that are spewing exhaust fumes with your windows open. Y

We didn't. The other car came after we were already parked. And its engine was still running when we left. We never saw the driver.

I don't have a dog now anyway, so I know longer need to worry about such.

-Don- Big Creek, NV

 

[Chef Duane]

Perhaps the flashing lights and siren(s) you installed on your car have something to do with It??

Didn't want to impersonate Law Enforcement so I took a little different approach...

 

[SargeW]

And now we return you to your original topic......