Who says you can’t drive when you’re 55
Commercial driver’s license holders are taught to perform two walk-arounds of their vehicles before embarking on a trip, but Larry Nunamaker recommends people with noncommercial licenses stick to the practice as well — especially senior citizens.
Nunamaker, an instructor with Seniors for Safe Driving, led a class for people age 55 and older Saturday morning, Feb. 8, at Butler YMCA.
Seniors for Safe Driving is a driving course for senior citizens intended to keep them up to date on best driving practices, changing traffic laws and how to accommodate the effects of aging on driving.
The class of about 25 people Saturday morning included many first-time attendees of the course, whom Nunamaker said might relate to some of the challenges of driving as they got older.
“As we get older our depth perception starts to deceive us,” Nunamaker said. “As we get older, our vision starts dropping. We don’t even realize it happens, because it happens so gradually.”
Seniors for Safe Driving is not affiliated with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, but the class is approved through the department, according to Desiree Simpson, office manager for the program. Simpson said people who take the course are eligible to receive a discount on their vehicle insurance and they get some materials that are helpful to remain safe on the road.
“We promote the Yellow Dot Program with PennDOT. It's a medical alert program,” Simpson said. “You get a little yellow dot, and they will know to look into your glove box for any medical info if you are incapacitated.”
Simpson also said each Seniors for Safe Driving course tackles topics like yielding, intersections and roundabouts, vehicle technology, and strategies for passing safely, as well as car features like seat belts, air bags and anti-lock brakes.
Nunamaker told those in the class that their reflexes may get slower as they age, which, combined with the gradual decrease in vision, could lead people to get in more crashes as they age. He recommended senior drivers keep their car lights on at all times while driving and to look farther ahead when on a highway so they can anticipate potential hazards, negating reliance on fast reflexes.
“Keep that vision up, when you’re in town, look one city block ahead, then you have more time to react; and when you’re on the highway you look 30 seconds ahead,” Nunamaker said. “Run lights all the time, not just on the highway. When you put your lights on, you’re saying, ‘Here I am.’”
Seniors for Safe Driving will have classes throughout the spring for people age 55 and older. The next session in Butler County begins at noon on March 11 at Tanglewood Center in Butler. The classes take about four hours, and they are fully in a classroom setting — there is no driving involved.
For more information on the course, or to register for an upcoming session, visit seniorsforsafedriving.com.
