Keeping the Keys 2015 AAA Driver Training Programs

Keeping the Keys © 2015 AAA Driver Training Programs

A Resources Workshop for Older Drivers

Presenter Guide

AAA Driver Training Programs

Version 4.0

CONFIDENTIAL

The recipient of this document understands that such document contains confidential business information that may not be disclosed or transmitted except with the expressed consent of AAA Automotive. Subsequent recipients within the association, must, prior to receiving information, agree to maintain its confidentiality.

Keeping the Keys: Program Overview

Program Purposes

To Help Older Drivers: / Understand the Association’s full range of resources to help older drivers
Understand how driving abilities change as they age
Understand how they can compensate for age-based changes in driving abilities
Turn to AAA/CAA for all their driving safety and mobility solutions

Background

Similar to AAA’s successful Dare To Prepare program, Keeping The Keys was initiated by clubs, being first delivered by AAA Arizona, under the leadership of Linda Gorman, Director of Public Affairs. Special thanks are due to Linda, and other clubs that provided input to the program’s broader development.

± 60 Minute Program Length

The program is designed to be delivered in a 60 minute timeframe. However, due to the modular structure, KTK may be deliverable in smaller chunks (30 or 45 minutes for example) if desired.

Modules and Delivery Times

Module / Estimated Time
1: Introduction / 5 minutes
2: Aging’s Effects on Driving / 20 minutes
3: Extending Your Safe Driving Career / 15 minutes
4: Planning Ahead / 10 minutes
5: Summary & Wrap-Up / 5 minutes
Total / 55 minutes

Preparation for Delivery

Preparation to deliver Keeping the Keys involves the following steps:

Step 1: Determine which programs mentioned in Keeping the Keys the club promotes and offers in its territory, including but not limited to:

·  Roadwise Driver driving safety program (classroom or online)

·  Roadwise Review (Disc-based or online version)

·  CarFit

·  Roadwise Rx (AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety)

·  SeniorDriving.AAA.com (website)

Step 2: For those association programs the club does not offer and/or promote, arrange to offer as many as possible before delivering the workshop. This will help maximize the chances that senior drivers will turn to the club for solutions.

For example, if your club does not offer the association’s Roadwise Driver Online driving safety course, simply contact AAA Driver Training Programs at or 407-444-7088 to get set up.

If delivering in Canada, simply insert “CAA” where “AAA” appears in the Presenter Guide and Powerpoint slides.

Step 3: Remove references to any programs not offered and/or promoted by the club (remove from both the Presenter Guide and the Power Point slides).

Step 4: Identify any “local” programs and resources that the club would like to add to Keeping the Keys. Examples might include:

§  Supplemental transportation programs (STPs)

§  Community health centers

§  Local Area Agency on Aging

§  Etc.

Additionally, be sure to promote any local club-administered programs. For example, several clubs also offer in-car driving skill evaluations and behind-the-wheel training for senior drivers.

Step 5: Insert references to club-administered and other “local” programs identified in Step 4 (add to both the Presenter Guide and the Powerpoint slides).

Step 6: Review the full content of the Keeping the Keys Presenter Guide and Powerpoint slides. This will help you understand how the program flows, as well as refresh your knowledge about each of the Association’s senior driver programs.

Step 7: Develop resource packets for attendees. Recommended resources include:

§  The Older and Wiser Driver brochure- AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

§  Smart Features for Mature Drivers brochure

§  Flexibility Fitness Training brochure- AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

§  Schedule of club events:

1.  Roadwise Driver classroom courses

2.  CarFit events

3.  Etc.

Additional packet resources could include:

§  Brochure set: Straight Talk for Mature Drivers

§  Club insurance information

§  Other resources or services the club wishes to provide or promote

Step 8: Assemble “display” copies of the programs and resources that the Presenter can physically hold up while presenting the program. Recommended resources include:

§  Roadwise Driver flyer

§  CarFit brochure

§  Roadwise Review- disc

§  The Older and Wiser Driver- brochure

§  How To Help and Older Driver- booklet

Delivery Tips

·  When talking to your audience, make sure that they know this program isn’t about AAA, but about them.

·  Keeping the Keys provides an overview of the association’s resources for senior driving safety and mobility. The answers to many specific questions lie within those resources, not necessarily within Keeping the Keys.

o  Avoid getting drawn into questions about detailed or highly individual situations.

o  Instead, assure attendees that the information they need is very likely contained within the specific programs that Keeping the Keys describes.

·  Some clubs find it useful to invite a club insurance representative to attend, to answer any insurance-related questions that may arise. This may result in developing insurance leads, increasing the value of Keeping the Keys to the club.

Module 1: Introduction

(approx. 5 min.)

·  Welcome to Keeping the Keys, AAA’s workshop highlighting resources for older drivers!

Introduction / Presenter’s name
Role: Facilitator of today’s workshop
Affiliation (AAA associate, volunteer, etc.)
Logistics
-  Exits and other safety-related information
-  Restrooms
-  Others
Other relevant information as appropriate

·  [Introduce other persons, if applicable]

·  [Hand out resources and other materials (if not done so already)]

KTK is Designed to Help Older Drivers: / Understand how driving abilities change as a result of natural aging
Identify ways they can compensate for those changes to minimize their risk
Plan ahead for continued mobility
Continue to drive for as long as safely possible
Become familiar with the full range of resources that AAA has for older drivers
Why AAA Offers this Workshop / AAA offers this workshop as a service to our members, and to the older driver community as a whole
AAA is dedicated to keeping seniors driving as long as safely possible and as mobile as possible thereafter
What This Workshop is Not: / Not about whether you should or should not be driving
Not about how to stop driving, or to get you to give up the keys
Not for beginning drivers
Not specifically about techniques to help you drive more safely
-  Although a few tips will be shared
Rather, our goal is to provide you with all the resources you need to continue to drive safely and maintain your mobility, to enhance your quality of life

Optional Content

·  AAA works in three main areas to promote safe driving among older drivers:

1 / The Vehicle / AAA works with vehicle manufacturers to ensure they are taking into account the unique needs of older drivers when they design vehicles
-  Such as back-up camera systems that can be easily used by drivers with reduced vision
2 / The Roadway / AAA works with national and local roadway departments to enhance the roadway for older drivers
-  Such as by supporting the enhancement of visibility and reflectivity of signs
3 / The Driver / That’s what this workshop is all about
-  We’ll be taking a look at the full suite of resources available to you from AAA
-  To help you monitor your driving abilities over time
-  To help you improve your abilities so you can drive more safely, longer

·  The agenda for the workshop:

Workshop Agenda
1 / Introduction
2 / Aging’s Effects on Driving
3 / Extending Your Safe Driving Career
4 / Planning Ahead
5 / Summary

Optional Content

·  Although we all try to drive safely, things can still go wrong

o  Other drivers may be paying less attention to driving than they should

o  Or their driving knowledge and skills may be lacking

·  Here are some examples of situations where a driver involved in a collision might not be completely clear on the rules of the road, or the concept of working to reduce one’s risk

·  The following are actual statements drivers made on collision reports

·  [Presenter to share some selected statements from those below]

Actual Statements from Real Crash Reports / “The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.”
“To avoid hitting the bumper of the car in front, I struck the pedestrian.”
“I started to slow down, but the traffic was more stationary than I thought.”
“The crash occurred when I was attempting to bring my car out of a skid by steering it into the other vehicle.”
“When I saw I could not avoid a collision I stepped on the gas and crashed into the other car.”
“The accident happened because I had one eye on the truck in front, one eye on the pedestrian, and the other on the car behind.”
“I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my Mother-in-Law, and headed over the embankment.”

·  It is not a surprise that many drivers tend to blame factors other than themselves for crashes, including:

o  Other drivers and

o  Environmental factors

·  Yet the fact is that most motor vehicle collisions are due to driver error

·  But older drivers should not be singled out here:

o  Any age driver could make errors behind the wheel

o  It has happened to every one of us, ever since we started driving

Fact or Myth? / As you are probably aware, there are both truths and myths about driving, and about older drivers
Let’s take a short quiz so you can demonstrate your current knowledge, both about older drivers, and about driving in general
Just answer True or False for each question

Question 1

The number of senior drivers is expected to stay about the same over the next 20 years / False / Actually, there are significant changes ahead:
-  The 85 and older age group is the fastest growing segment of the population
-  According to the Federal Highway Administration, there will be a 77% increase among drivers over 65 by 2045
-  And by 2030, they will move from about 11% of all licensed drivers to about 25% by that time
-  That is, they will move to from about 1 in 10, to about 1 out of every 4
Plus older people expect to work later into life
-  80% expect to work past the traditional retirement age
-  Most will need to drive to be able to get to and from work
-  So, there will be more older drivers out on the road, in addition to more older drivers holding drivers licenses

Question 2

There is a specific age after which no one can drive safely / False / There is no such age!
-  It is far more about driving fitness and abilities, than about age
Unsafe drivers should not be allowed to drive, regardless of age
-  Whether they are 18, 38 or 88
There are big differences among drivers regarding the onset and degree of functional impairments
-  Thus, age alone is not sufficient information to judge a driver’s abilities
-  This is why some older people can drive safely well into their 80s, and others cannot
It’s one’s health and abilities, not one’s age, that matters most in driving safely

Question 3

A driver affected by a medication prescribed by a doctor cannot be changed with impaired driving (e.g., DWI or DUI ) / False / Drivers can still be charged with impaired driving even with prescription medications
The issue is not whether the impairment is caused by prescription versus over-the-counter drugs, or even a specific type of drug
-  The issue is whether a driver is impaired by any drug, including alcohol
-  In the eyes of the law, it does not matter what drug is involved

Question 4

Today’s older drivers can expect to drive safely for the full duration of their lives / False / Partly because of advances in medicine and medical knowledge, we are living longer than ever before
As a result, it is very likely that we will outlive our ability to drive safely
That is why we need to plan ahead, for the likely eventuality that will we become a “retired driver” at some point in our life
We’ll talk more about that later

Question 5

There are actions older drivers can take to help extend their safe driving careers / True / There are a number of steps one can take to help drive as long as safely possible
That is the main reason for this workshop
-  To help you become familiarized will all the resources available to support you

Question 6

On the whole, older drivers are dangerous drivers / False / Senior drivers are actually under-involved in at-fault crashes
They are involved in fewer collisions than one would expect:
-  People age 65 and older represent about 15% of the licensed drivers in the U.S.
-  But they are involved in only about 7% of at-fault crashes
-  One reason for this is that we have more experience than any other group of drivers
-  Also, we tend to adapt our driving to the local driving conditions, when possible
-  Overall, older drivers are safe drivers, and we all want to stay that way

Module Wrap-Up

·  So, in summary, we know:

o  That it’s a driver’s health, not their age, that matters most in driving safely

o  That people are living longer, and will likely outlive their ability to drive safely

o  There are all sorts of steps drivers can take to help prolong their safe driving career

·  But every one of us still ages…

Module 2: Aging’s Effects on Driving

(approx. 20 min.)

·  The good news: As older drivers, we tend to be safe drivers