By Daniel Nash
The Courier-Herald
As the body ages and reaction times may ebb, senior citizens often worry about maintaining their independence in everyday facets life. One of those is driving.
A 1997 study showed older people made up 9 percent of the population but accounted for 14 percent of all traffic fatalities and 17 percent of all pedestrian fatalities.
Washington state does not determine drivers license renewals on the basis of age alone. But the Department of Licensing conducts vision and medical tests for every driver seeking to renew their license, and can issue a restricted license limiting drivers to geographic areas, extra support or special vehicle modifications.
The AARP offers seniors an additional tool to ensure continued safe driving with age: their AARP driver safety class.
The class, for drivers 50 and older, provides tips to compensate for the limits of natural aging while driving, and can even proffer an insurance discount in some states.
Albert Chiamulera led an eight-hour class at the Bonney Lake Senior Center Thursday.
In most respects, it resembled a course that would be offered to drivers of any age, with a few subtle extras. Chiamulera took a moment to discuss self-defense.
Chiamulera advised seniors to deter attack or mugging by pressing the alarm button on their electronic key, if they had one.
“If not, most cars today have large keys, and if you hold it like this,” he said, gripping his key between his middle and ring fingers, “it makes a pretty good weapon.”
Other topics discussed included driving safely around trucks and guiding a vehicle safely off the road from the passenger side in the event that the driver has a medical emergency.
The group openly discussed the unique challenges of driving on rural Bonney Lake roads.
“What do you do with bike groups like the one in South Prairie, that hold up cars behind them?” one woman asked.
“Unfortunately, if you don’t have room or the proper dividing lines to pass a biker, you have to stay behind them,” Chiamulera said. “They have all the same legal rights as other vehicles on the road. But if they’re holding up more than five vehicles, you can call the sheriff and make them aware of the situation.”
Chiamulera teaches classes in the south Pierce County area. For more information about upcoming classes, visit www.aarp.org/familes/driver_safety.
