Four-hour AARP Driver Safety Refresher class offered for senior citizens
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, October 10, 2018
SALISBURY — An AARP Driver Safety Program Refresher class will be held at Rufty-Holmes Senior Center, 1120 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., on Oct. 18.
The class has been revised to a four-hour session that covers research-based safety strategies.
Registration is at 12:30 p.m., and instruction from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Class size is limited. Reservations can be made by calling 704-216-7714.
The fee is $15 for AARP member, who must bring a membership card to class. If the card is lost, a new card can be obtained by calling the AARP national office at 888-227-7669 (888-AARP NOW).
The membership number is also in AARP magazine.
The fee is $20 for nonmembers. The fee covers the cost of the workbook and materials.
Participants must also bring their driver’s license.
The class is open to all age groups.
Rufty-Holmes Senior Center has sponsored an AARP driver class in Salisbury every year since 1991.
The program is the nation’s first and largest classroom driver refresher course 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 age-related physical changes that affect driving ability. The workbook has 40 pages of safety tips and 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 common crash situations; reduce the chances of having a crash by reviewing basic driving rules, traffic hazards and accident prevention measures; update understanding of roads, vehicles and other road users; plan and think about how we drive; the effects of medication on driving; and identifying when driving may no longer be safe.
Graduates of the course may be eligible for a discount on auto insurance.
The local AARP chapter meets at 1 p.m. the first Thursday of each month at Rufty-Holmes Senior Center. The chapter offers a variety of opportunities in community service, education, advocacy and leadership, and fellowship
Anyone over 50 is encouraged to attend meetings and join the chapter.