My neighbor is 80 years old and is thinking of taking a driving course for the elderly. I suspect that he may learn a new skill or two. I wonder if his car insurance will get lowered.

The one he’s interested in is a refresher course run by the local senior center.  They consist of going over the driving laws plus lots of clues for defensive driving.  We all could probably use a little more information about that. It probably wouldn’t hurt me to also find out what are the early clues when someone needs to give up driving. After all, if I’m the driver, won’t I see them first?

In my last post I listed a few ways you can improve your chances of driving safely regardless your age. In this post I’ll add a few others such as avoiding challenging conditions. I’m fairly good at doing this especially if my tires are worn and I’m driving in 3 inches of snow. I no longer if someone calls me a woos. The stress isn’t worth it!

Planning a head is another safety tool. A bridge card teacher is the best I’ve seen of this tool. He’s 85 and drives all over for his pupils. He’ll actually take a trial run if he doesn’t know where he’ going. He wants to know how to get there, where to park, and the best way home.  For instance, plan your errands for non rush hours. Drive for shorter periods of time and with more frequent stops to rest and stretch your legs.

If you’re older you also should be using all the mirrors in your car. Not everyone can crock their head and rotate their hips, shoulders, neck and body. If you don’t check your mirrors you’ll have blind spots for other vehicles and pedestrians. A good idea throughout the day is to maintain your flexibility  by practicing to turn your neck from right to left and turning your whole trunk from right to left. To treat your body equally be sure to practice the other way also.

You may also want to explore other transportation options. Even if you’re able to drive now, you may want to try other options so you’ll be more familiar with them when you need to change and can’t drive.

The statistics indicate that around the age of 65 drivers face an increased risk of a bad accident. After age 75 the risk goes even higher because older drivers are more vulnerable to both crash related injury. Three of the major factors that contribute to these accidents are: poor judgment in making left hand turns, drifting within lanes, and not making the correct decision fast enough.

In the mean time before you keep driving make sure you vehicle is the right one for you: Do you fit? Can you see above the steering wheel? Can you reach the breaks comfortable. ? Elderly drivers need power steering, automatic transmission, a dashboard and speedometer that are easy to see, an easily adjustable seat, a steering wheel that can tile and telescope, and glare proof mirrors. These features all make driving safer.

Write a comment if you have something else to ad.
In the meantime to you successful safe driving.

Ruthan

Ruthan Brodsky
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