An AARP Driver Safety Program class will be held Wednesday, May 13, at the Rufty-Holmes Senior Center, 1120 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. The class has been revised to a four-hour session. Registration is at 12:30 p.m. with instruction from 1-5 p.m. Class size is limited, and reservations can be made by calling 704-216-7714.
The fee is $12 for AARP members. Bring your membership card to class. New cards may be obtained by calling the AARP national office at 1-888-227-7669 (1-888-AARP NOW). The fee is $14 for non-members. The fee covers the cost of the workbook and materials. Participants must also bring their driver’s license.
The AARP Driver Safety Program is the nation’s first and largest classroom driver refresher course specially designed for motorists age 50 and older. AARP volunteers have been teaching the course since 1979.
The course will provide a review of driving skills and techniques, as well as strategies and tips to help seniors adjust to normal age related physical changes that affect driving ability. The workbook contains 25 pages of safety tips and much more.
The objectives of the AARP Driver Safety Program are to help participants understand the effects of aging on driving by getting them to know themselves, learn driving strategies that take into account the changes people experience as they age; identify the most common crash situations we face; reduce the chances of having a crash by reviewing basic driving rules, traffic hazards and accident prevention measures; update our knowledge and understanding of today’s roads, vehicles and other road users; plan and think about how we drive; the effects of medication on driving; identify when driving may no longer be safe.
Upon completing the course, drivers may be eligible to receive a discount on their auto insurance premiums.
The local AARP chapter meets at 1 p.m. the first Thursday of each month at the Rufty-Holmes Senior Center. Senior citizens over the age of 50 are encouraged to attend the informative meetings and join the local chapter.