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How do I take away my husband’s keys and buy a new car? He shouldn’t be driving because his judgement has deteriorated. Our car is 17 years old and needs work. Husband thinks the car drive fine.

The DMV kept taking away mom's license and giving it back. It took a near miss on the highway before she finally gave up driving. She was mad for a long time I sold her car and put the money towards her care.
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Reply to JustAnon
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Unless you are now the "designated driver" it is silly to buy a new car. It is time now for hubby to give up driving. I would discuss this with his doctor and with your husband himself.

Do you live near public transit? If not it is time to consider what is safe for your and your husband's future.
Best of luck.
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Reply to AlvaDeer
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You can buy a lockbox with a combination that only you know, and keep all the keys in there.

It's a hard thing to do, but you need to protect him and the other drivers on the road.
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Reply to MG8522
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The way I got my resistant Mom to stop (at age 95) was to tell her a therapeutic fib: that she needed to go in for her FREE Medicare annual physical. In advance I sent her doc a message through her medical portal, that she is a dangerous drive and was hiding her keys, etc. At the appointment I stayed in the room during the exam. The doc talked to her about losing abilities in our senior years, but my Mom wasn't having it -- and the doc saw this. So, she ordered a virtual driving assessment through the OT dept. Since my Mom was insistant that she was a good driver, the doc said she can put everyone's concerns to rest once she took the test. Well, she failed both the MoCA test and the physical reaction test. The OT was the one who broke the news to her. Then she told my Mom that the report would go to my Mom's doc, who is required to report it to the Dept of Public Safety and they'd cancel her license. There was still a little drama from her but she couldn't blame me at least.

I would hide the keys on your person, if you think he'll be persistent in looking for them. My Mom hid both the keys and title so well, we never found them. Don't show your old car's title to your husband. Don't tell him what you're doing. You can tell him the new car is a loaner until the old one "gets fixed" and he's not on the paperwork to drive it.
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Reply to Geaton777
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You hide his keys, then get in the car yourself and purchase a new vehicle, leaving the jalopy at the dealership. Tell him you're going to the salon. When DH wants to drive the new car, you hide THOSE keys or put The Club over the steering wheel and keep that key in the freezer in foil, informing him his driving days are now over, per doctors orders.
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Reply to lealonnie1
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I think you just have to take the plunge and do it and deal with consequences after. It will be difficult but there is no other solution. I don't know if attempting to reason with him regarding what will happen with your insurance if he causes an accident will make a difference but you can keep saying that over and over. I hope you can move forward and find a way to deal with this. The consequences could only cause you more stress. Also you can keep repeating the problems the car has.
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Reply to Riverdale
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