This Week is ‘Older Driver Safety Awareness Week’

This is a press release from the California Highway Patrol:

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol (CHP) joins the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) in recognizing December 3-7, 2018, as Older Driver Safety Awareness Week.

According to the AOTA, with increasing age come changes in physical, mental, and sensory abilities that can challenge a person’s continued ability to drive safely. Family and friends play a major role in identifying changes in driving behavior and beginning discussions about older driver safety. It is important to start these conversations early and discuss any needed changes in driving habits before it becomes a problem, allowing older drivers to be actively involved in the planning.

“Driving also means independence and the thought of losing that can be troublesome for many,” CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley said. “As a friend or family member, having the discussion with an aging driver about how long it is safe for them to continue driving can be difficult, but it is necessary.”

Last year, more than 3,400 fatal collisions were recorded in California. Preliminary data from the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System indicates drivers aged 65 and older were involved in 13.5 percent of the fatal collisions in California in 2017.

As part of our efforts to help California’s seniors drive safely for as long as they can, the CHP offers a free, two-hour Age Well, Drive Smart course. Through this program, seniors can sharpen their driving skills, refresh their knowledge of the rules of the road, and learn how to adjust to typical age-related physical and mental changes. Information about the free class is available at CHP Area offices throughout the state or at www.chp.ca.gov.

The mission of the California Highway Patrol is to provide the highest level of Safety, Service, and Security.

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Really?
Guest
Really?
5 years ago

Considering that people over age 65 comprise over 14% of Californians, it would seem that this group is doing pretty good stat wise.

Willie Caso-Mayhem
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Really?

I personally am approaching that age and am proud to be not have a ticket or any infraction in 35yrs.

joe paff
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Really?

“Really” seems to have definitively refuted the CHP anxiety. Wow!

J
Guest
J
5 years ago
Reply to  Really?

Ya, the stat also says a driver over 65 was involved, does that mean they caused or or just involved? I’ve been involved in a wreck where the senior shouldn’t have been driving so this is a valid concern but I think they could find a better stat to represent the danger of driving past a certain point in life.

gunther
Guest
gunther
5 years ago

I can drive just fine, but I can’t always remember where I’m going or why.

guest
Guest
guest
5 years ago
Reply to  gunther

lol, that’s funny.

curlybill
Guest
curlybill
5 years ago

With the wave of boomers entering retirement there couldn’t be a better time for the self driving car.
People won’t even need to own a car, they will use an app to have a self driving service pick them up.

Central HumCo
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  curlybill

And sure enough, there’ll be a country western singer crying about how his car left him.

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  curlybill

I will never see in my lifetime a self driving car that can negotiate the road on which I live, with no shoulders, steep cliffs, worn off striping and hairpin turns. At least not until they develop an AI who possesses a fear of death to override the list of rules in its programming. I can hope that parking will be made available to me at the bottom of the hill so I could hire one to meet me there but I doubt whether any commercial outfit will think there’s much profit in that.

Central HumCo
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Guest

1933 Packard Self-Parking Car

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMsRJrlbyMI 29 secs.

Martin Stockel
Guest
Martin Stockel
5 years ago

Sounds like a great program for the older drivers that feel they need to sharpen their skills. Now the CHP needs a class for idiots that make up the bulk of crashes here in Eureka.

shak
Guest
shak
5 years ago
Reply to  Martin Stockel

There are no other stats for comparison sake, which makes it safe to say the remaining 86.5% fall into the idiotic category.
Come on Statisticians, do a fair accountability chart.

Even the driverless cars have had more wrecks per driverless car capital than driven cars.