Pat Bailey, an AARP instructor who teaches the Driver Safety Program, uses a board to illustrate the idea of right-of-way at a turn signal. The AARP hosted a driving safety class at the Garden Plaza of Greenbriar Cove. The eight-hour class, which was comprised of classroom learning, covered safe driving techniques and the rules of the road.Fatal U.S. CRASHES BY AGE** Total — 34,965* Age 16-34 — 15, 235, or 43 percent of total* Age 60-85+ — 6,812, or 19 percent of total* Figures from 2010Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Last week, 69-year-old Glenda Pinckard drove to five Chattanooga doctor’s appointments, choir practice and church.
Driving takes extra concentration these days, she admits, but she’s not ready to give up her keys.
“I’m still driving because the bus doesn’t go where I need to go,” she said. “I don’t know how I would get where I need to go without driving.”
There are nearly 34 million drivers 65 or older on the nation’s roads, according to The Associated Press, and many face an uphill battle to stay safe behind the wheel.