AARP driver safety program offered at RCAS

As folks hurry to beat the income tax deadline, they can relax and take a driver safety class that same day, Thursday, April 15 and the following day, Friday April 16 beginning from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. The purpose of the course is to refresh the older driver in an eight-hour course spread over two days at a $10 cost.

Upon successfully completing the course, being offered at the Rogers City Area Senior Center, graduates of the AARP Driver Safety Program may be eligible to receive a multi-year discount on their auto insurance premiums. Participants may purchase their lunch at the center for $2.25 on Thursday and bring a lunch or visit a local restaurant for lunch at the Friday class. The class will be offered again May 13 and 14, and is limited to only 24 participants per class. Since 1979, more than nine million people have completed the course designed for ages 50 and up. The course covers vision and hearing changes, the effects of medication, reaction time changes, left turns and other right-of-way situations, new laws and how they affect the driver, and hazardous driving situations.

THE ROGERS CITY Area Senior Center is sponsoring the classes and providing the room. A volunteer instructor, Allan Walbecq of Alpena, will teach the class. Is there a need for this kind of class? There definitely is a need, as drivers over age 65 are almost twice as likely as middle-aged (55-64) drivers to die in car crashes, according to a AAA Foundation study released in February. The risks increase 25 percent for an older driver to become involved in an accident while attempting a left turn, and are greatly affected by illness and lapses in perception. That percentage increases with age up to 50 percent for a driver over age 85.

The older the driver, the greater the increase or likelihood a serious accident will occur. Over the age of 75 the rate rises to 2.59 times as likely to die in a car crash and 3.72 or four times more likely to die for those over 85 as drivers in the 55-64 age bracket. ?As we age, our reaction time and other cognitive skills can diminish,? said Peter Kissinger, president of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Kissinger wrote that by age 60 drivers require 10 times the amount of light necessary to see objects as a 16-year-old. The older population in Presque Isle County is growing by leaps and bounds as folks come north to retire.

THE FINDINGS from the AAA study are based on an analysis of 25 years of data involving four million injury crashes in Texas, but those risks are probably multiplied when winter driving hazards are factored in. ?It is vital that periodically and honestly older drivers review their driving performance,? Kissinger added. In Rogers City there were 160 vehicle accidents in 2003 from January 1 through December 31. Of those 160 accidents, 45 were considered hit and run, meaning it involved only one vehicle and the other was unknown. Most involved parking lot bump-and-runs. Of the 115 vehicle accidents remaining, 57 involved drivers over the age of 50 and up to age 91 when an accelerator stuck and the vehicle struck a parked car. A full 50 percent of vehicle accidents in Rogers City involved drivers over the age of 50. Many of the accidents were attributed to driver errors when the victim?s vehicle was not seen in time to avoid a crash. Some were just poor judgment, some not at fault, and some were the result of a failure to follow proper traffic safety laws. It would seem many of the accidents could have been avoided by being more aware and focused.

IN THE AARP Driver Safety Course, a series of questions and answers tabulated by the individual taking the course is set up to help the driver identify problem areas and offer suggestions to help overcome the difficulties. ?We did this course while I was living in California,? said RCAS director Milt Very. ?Then it was called ?55-Alive? but now it?s called the safety program. I would recommend this for any driver over the age of 50. It?s an excellent class with only self tests being given, and the person keeps their own records.? Of concern with the older driver is the gradual, sometimes not noticed, loss of vision, hearing and physical strength that may be needed in an emergency. A loss in reaction time can result from any of the above factors, which in turn results in the accuracy of sensory information being processed at a slower rate. In Very?s case, his 80 years of age has led to increasing physical limitations he must be very careful about while driving.

?I?ve had a hip replaced and two knee replacements which means I have a fast foot drop problem,? Very said. ?I have to be extra cautious when I work the brake pedal.? VERY SAID IT was most important for the older driver to face up to his or her limitations and to be on top of their mental driving habits as well as become aware of their physical limitations. ?Being aware of what?s going on around you helps your d

riving,? Very continued, ?especially when driving in a metropolitan area where traffic is heavy.? Very mentioned being aware of positioning for exiting off an expressway and being aware of merging traffic from the onramps. ?People who live and drive in rural areas have a tendency to become complacent and don?t think about oncoming traffic because they are not used to having any traffic go by their driveway when they back out,? Very said. Very reminded the senior driver not to eat while driving or talk on cell phones, as it takes more concentration to be a good driver and to be aware and focused on the task at hand.

?Parallel parking is a problem for seniors because many seniors have neck problems that make it difficult to turn and make actual head checks, and not just use the mirrors on the vehicle,? Very said. Very also said traffic obstructions such as trees, shrubs, parked cars and snow piles in winter can cause the senior driver extra problems when trying to cross intersections or enter a roadway. The older motorist can learn to compensate for these physical and mental changes and become a better driver. The first step is taking control of the situation and taking a refresher course specifically geared for the older driver.

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