When’s the right time to talk with your senior about their driving? There are many factors that influence a senior’s ability to drive, and each state has different regulations in place for senior drivers. And, of course, every senior is different. So how do you know what to do—and when?

To help you make decisions—and figure out when to get serious about safety issues—the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA) are has put together a list of standard warning signs. When your senior driver does any combination of these, it’s time to have a serious conversation about their driving abilities:

• Drifts into other lanes
• Straddles lanes
• Makes sudden lane changes
• Ignores or misses stop signs and traffic signals
• Gets easily confused in traffic
• Brakes or stops abruptly without cause
• Accelerates suddenly without reason
• Coasts to a near stop in the midst of moving traffic
• Presses simultaneously on the brake and accelerator while driving
• Has difficulty seeing pedestrians, objects and other vehicles
• Is increasingly nervous when driving
• Drives at significantly slower than the posted speed or general speed of other vehicles
• Backs up after missing an exit or road
• Has difficultly reacting quickly as they process multiple images or sounds
• Has problems with neck flexibility while turning to see traffic on the left or right
• Gets lost or disoriented easily, even in familiar places
• Fails to use the turn signal, or keeps the signal on without changing lanes
• Experiences increased “close calls” and “near misses”
• Has been issued two or more traffic tickets or warnings in the past two years
• Gets dents and scrapes on the car or on fences, mailboxes, garage doors, and curbs

If you’re concerned about your senior driver, remember to handle the situation with sensitivity—their loss of independence can be a traumatic prospect. You can look into a driving assessment from the DMV to aid your decision process. In addition, you can encourage your senior to participate in a driver safety program offered by the DMV, AARP, or other senior-related organization.