PEABODY – More than 40 seniors at the Peabody Community Life Center gathered Wednesday for a presentation by the American Automobile Association (AAA) on proper care and use of vehicles as you grow older.John Paul, AAA Manager of Traffic Safety and writer of the column “Car Doctor,” covered topics such as how to define “old age” and when to identify when it’s time to “hang up your keys.””What is old age?” he asked the audience.Responses varied from 30 years old to 50 years old, and one cracked “anything over 15.”According to Paul, defining old age is hard to do, especially in terms of driving. Everyone has his or her own opinion.”Age isn’t the perfect criteria to decide when we should stop driving,” he said. “The last I knew, there were 1,700 people in Massachusetts over 100 years old with their drivers license.”However, he quotes the medical community with thinking 78 years old is when “old age” begins, and he believes it comes with good reason.He said that it’s at around that time when most of our body’s cognitive ability starts to weaken and our reaction times become slower. Neither of the two are good qualities to have when operating a vehicle.Nor is poor vision, which peaks at around 17 years old, and drops for years after.”The most important thing when driving is your vision,” he said. “Everyone should get an exam at least every two years.”Paul said that most people start to experience contrast sensitivity, when colors start to blend, making it difficult to know the difference between a sidewalk and the road, which begins at around age 50. He also said that drivers tend to not recover as quickly from glare.”Leave extra space between you and the vehicle in front of you,” said Paul, adding that doing so will give them more time to react and step on the brake.He also recommended frequently cleaning your eyeglasses, windshields, and headlights to limit the chance of glare having an affect on your driving.Paul said that although practicing such safety precautions is important, it’s even more important to know when you just simply shouldn’t drive anymore and accept that fact.Joan Terry, president of North Shore Chapter 479 of the National Association of Active and Retired Federal Employees, who sponsored the event, said that she stopped driving because of her vision. She said it was a difficult decision for her to make, as she was in denial for some time and didn’t want to lose her independence, but knew she had to give it up.AAA often speaks at senior facilities, as well as teenage organizations, to talk about risks involved with driving. Paul said it’s important to take self-assessment tests, such as those found in the computer program Road Wise Review, to help determine if you’re a hazard to the roadway.”We don’t want to take anyone off the road,” said Paul. “We want to keep people driving as long as they can, as safely as they can.”For more information, log on to www.aaa.com.