Have you heard? MoDOT, along with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the American Society on Aging, is encouraging older drivers to use alternative transportation when they must limit or stop driving.  Sounds good to me, and they are looking for ways to help seniors drive longer with some training and learning techniques. With that in mind, they are instituting 5 core programs in 5 cities in Missouri, one of which is the St. Louis area. Other Missouri cities include: Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Kansas City, and Springfield.

They (MoDOT) say that older drivers were involved in 15 percent of the fatal traffic crashes and 12 percent of the crashes involving a serious injury in the last 3 years.  As people age, vision can change, limited mobility, slower reflexes, delayed reaction time, drowsiness, and trouble judging distances and speed all can become issues.  Growing older doesn’t HAVE to mean giving up driving but we all need to be sensitive to these changes. Physicians need to be pro-active in their observances of problems stated above.

MoDot will work with NHTSA, ASA and community coordinators in each of the cities to stage training and outreach efforts on the programs. For a description of the programs click HERE.  Time to take a refresher class?