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The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is teaming up with the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) to raise awareness during Older Driver Safety Awareness Week. This year, Older Driver Safety Week is running from December 6th through the 10th. During this time, the CHP is encouraging older drivers to attend their free two-hour Age Well, Drive Smart courses. These courses are designed to help older drivers stay safe for as long as possible. They can help seniors sharpen their driving skills, refresh their knowledge on rules of the road and learn how to recognize and adjust to common age-related changes.

According to the CHP, drivers aged 65 and older were involved in 13 percent of the fatal crashes that happened in California, so this issue is a top priority. Just because somebody is getting older, that doesn’t mean it’s time to “take the keys away” though. Talking to the senior driver in your life is a good place to start. Having an open dialogue about roadway safety for senior drivers can start this week.

NHTSA on Older Driver Safety Awareness Week

National public safety agencies are also getting in on Older Driver Safety Awareness Week. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is calling attention to the importance of safety for older drivers. They also have a lot of free resources for senior drivers and their families.

If you’re not able to get to an Age Well, Drive Smart class, the NHTSA has Drivewell toolkits online. As of 2019, there were 54.1 million people over the age of 65 in the U.S., so this is a very large age group with specific potential safety challenges and concerns that need to be acknowledged to ensure safe mobility for years to come.

Golden Years Safe Driving in Southern California

If you want to enroll in a free Age Well, Drive Smart class, or if you want to get the senior driver in your life enrolled, contact your local CHP office for more information. This can be an easy first step to talking about the age-related changes that happen for older drivers behind the wheel.

If you have been injured or if you have lost a loved one in a car accident in San Diego or anywhere in Southern California, contact the skilled and proven team at Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, Inc. at 1.800.GO.HARRIS for a free case consultation today.