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Car Talk

Hubby is starting to become a slowpoke

I am 65 and not ready to become a “geezerette.” My husband is two years older and isn’t a geezer yet either. Except when he drives in our university town, that is. He is making me nuts. We have a couple of four-lane main drags in our town with 45-mph speed limits. He drives in the passing lane at 35 with a beatific smile on his face.




TOM: I have bad news for you. Your husband is a geezer. And before all you geezers write to us and complain, note that we use the word as a term of endearment. Like “knucklehead.”



RAY: I don’t think he made a conscious decision to slow down; I think his brain did it for him, because it was sending the message that driving faster doesn’t feel safe. So I don’t think you really want him to speed up.

TOM: Why is he fine on the highway? Well, there are no turns in the road, no crossing or even oncoming traffic, no pedestrians, no parked cars, no bicyclists, no tree limbs. So it’s easier to maintain a steady speed without the distractions.

RAY: If you’re convinced that he’s cognitively OK, then check the basics and make sure his eyesight and hearing are where they should be.

TOM: If he passes those tests, then he’s just entering geezerdom. Now you have two choices.

RAY: One is to take up meditation and learn to accept life at his new speed. The other is to do the driving yourself when you go out.

TOM: Maybe you can sell him on the fact that he’ll be freer to enjoy his surroundings since you’ll be watching the road.

RAY: Good luck, and don’t forget to breathe.

King Features Syndicate

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