CHP Offers Classes for Aging Drivers

Concerned about your driving limitations as you get older? Have friends or family members expressed concerns about your driving? It is important to turn those concerns into action and take the proper steps in ensuring you remain safe on the road.

The California Highway Patrol’s (CHP) Age Well, Drive Smart classes provide education specifically designed to assist seniors in tuning up their driving skills, refreshing their knowledge of the rules of the road, and learning about age-related physical changes and how they affect driving ability.

Whether it is vision or hearing changes, medical conditions, limited mobility, or prescribed medications, this program is designed to identify circumstances that may be affecting a driver’s ability behind the wheel and provide support in making necessary improvements. It is important to understand that a driver’s ability, not age, is what determines a person’s fitness to drive.

“The CHP wants older drivers to maintain their driving independence for as long as they can drive safely,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “Continued education is an excellent way to help extend your driving years.”

Providing solutions to improve driver safety is key; however, the class curriculum also provides drivers and families with helpful tools to use in determining when it is time to hang up the keys and use alternate transportation. As difficult as it may be to stop driving, there are circumstances where safety is at risk and it just cannot be avoided.

As of January 1, 2014, Department of Motor Vehicles reports indicated there are more than 3.6 million licensed drivers over the age of 65 in California. It is estimated the number will continue to rise, reaching four million by the year 2020. Knowing this age group’s population will continue to increase, the CHP is continuing to promote the Age Well, Drive Smart program.

If you or a family member would like to attend a free Age Well, Drive Smart class, contact your local CHP office. To locate an office near you, visit www.chp.ca.gov.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

--Information from the CHP