The Keep Your Keys program is a driver safety course geared toward people 55 and older. MU Health Care's injury prevention and outreach program staff provide resources for adults — both individuals and caregivers — who may need support to continue driving or retire from driving.
Driving is an important factor in our self-esteem and independence as we age. The Keep Your Keys program helps older adults and caregivers make informed, confident decisions about driving. Through education, self-assessment and planning, we support safe driving and a smooth transition when it’s time to stop.
Our Approach to Road Safety
Keep Your Keys educators teach community members four main factors that can affect driving as we age:
- Decreased flexibility and strength
- Vision or hearing changes
- Memory and thinking skills
- Medication interactions
Our Keep Your Keys program includes regular, free community talks throughout Missouri to encourage driver safety. We also offer a driving self-assessment to help you better understand your driving ability.
Keep Your Keys helps older adults create a transportation plan. Sometimes, easing into driving retirement happens with planning, but sometimes it happens unexpectedly. A transportation plan helps you stay active and social even if you can no longer drive.
Should I Continue Driving?
You may have asked yourself this question. A loved one may have asked you this question, or you may be thinking about a family member.
The good news is, if the question is on your mind, so is safety.
Regularly checking in on driving ability can help you make informed decisions. Some questions to ask include:
- Can I keep up with the flow of traffic?
- Do I get lost or forget where I’m going?
- Do I feel tired when driving?
- Have I been involved in a crash in the past year?
- Have others expressed concern about my driving?
Our educators understand that answers to these questions are just part of the bigger picture. We work with older drivers to make changes to driving routines, such as:
- Only driving during daytime
- Avoiding rush hour
- Establishing familiar driving routes
These steps can help reduce risk and increase safety and confidence behind the wheel.
Keep Your Keys Community Trainings
We offer free community seminars and facilitator training sessions throughout the state, which can be done in-person or virtually. Our program is supported by funding from the Missouri Department of Transportation.
Upcoming Events
Interested in attending a free Keep Your Keys community seminar? Upcoming events in Missouri include:
- There are no events at this time.
If you have any questions or would like to schedule a Keep Your Keys community event, please contact us via email.
Support for Caregivers
Family members play a key role in noticing changes in driving ability and can help their loved ones retire from driving. This role should be approached with care, empathy and proper planning.
Our caregiver presentation focuses on the steps from beginning the conversation through the implementation of a plan for driving retirement. We provide guidance on how to:
- Observe driving skills
- Communicate your observations to your loved one
- Develop a plan to keep your loved one social and active
- Evaluate the plan often to make sure it is successful
