News: Senior Driver? There’s A New Guide For You
A new handy guidebook is now available to Florida’s senior drivers, freshly rolled out by a state safety coalition.
Florida Guide for Aging Driver contains safe driving tips, licensing information, lists of resources, and community contacts for every county in the state. Or, as its creators attest, just about everything an aging driver needs to be more proactive about staying safe on the road.
The Florida Safe Mobility for Life Coalition, comprised of professionals from 28 organizations, says its guide is a comprehensive resource with the “most up-to-date information available.”
Such a guide, the coalition says, makes perfect sense. Florida leads the nation with 18% of its population age 65 and older. By 2030, over 27% will be 65 or older, and half of those will be 75 or older. Currently, nearly 3 million drivers in the Sunshine State are over 65.
“Most people experience a steady decline in some of the skills needed to safely drive as we get older,” says Gail Holley, research manager for the Florida Department of Transportation’s Safe Mobility for Life program. “However, these changes do not affect all drivers at the same age or in the same way.”
It is important, she adds, for everyone to understand the impact that aging can have on their driving and learn the warning signs and resources that are available to them “so they can make the transition when driving may no longer be a safe option.”
The guide is designed to help aging drivers strike a balance between safety and the need for independence. Its creators hope that seniors will take the time to consider their driving abilities, take steps to improve their driving skills, explore other transportation options if needed, and start making a plan for retirement from driving if it becomes necessary in the future.
Intended to compliment the website SafeandMobileSeniors.org and fit a car’s glove box, the guide is available at no cost to senior drivers, compliments of the coalition. It is available through the Safe Mobility for Life Resource Center in Tallahassee at safe-mobility-for-life@fsu.edu.
