'Who says I'm too old to drive?'

Seniors above 65 feel driving allows them to be independent, stay active and provide a service to their families

- By Judith Tan

Retiree John Hio, 69, wants to keep driving, whether to run errands or take his spouse for medical check-ups or his pet poodle to the vet.

(LESTER HIO)

Retired sales executive John Hio, 69, says: "As long as I'm still healthy and alert, I will still drive every day.

Mr Hio, who has been behind the wheel for 45 years and currently drives a Honda Fit, says driving allows him to "provide a service to the family".

He adds: "I also take Truffles for her vet (visits) and grooming appointments, and to the park." Truffles is the Hio family's pet poodle.

Like Mr Hio, retired civil servant Goh Shih Yong, 76, uses his car to take his wife to and from her medical appointments, to buy food and for "me-time".

So, when his Toyota Camry turned 10 years old in 2023, Mr Goh found himself at a crossroads, trying to decide whether to take public transport or get a new car.

"I finally decided to get a car in November 2023. And a year later, I knew it was the right decision. Otherwise, I would have remained at home most of the time and I believe dementia would have set in," reckons Mr Goh, who now drives a Toyota Corolla.

Like Mr Goh and Mr Hio, Mr Liew, 75, is not putting away his driving licence any time soon.

The retiree, who declines to give his full name, has been driving for 47 years and currently has a Mercedes-Benz E180.

"The missus is used to being driven around - therefore, I still get behind the wheel," he adds.

For retiree-turned-freelance actor Danny Yeo, 75, who has been driving for the last 51 years and now takes the wheel of a Mazda 3, the liberty of driving and his love of meeting new people has spurred him to become a GrabHitch driver.

GrabHitch is a social carpooling service that matches passengers to drivers who are going the same way for a fare meant to subsidise petrol cost.