Smart Driver Safety Course Helps Elderly Motorists Adapt

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 2, 2016) — According to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), approximately 586 older adults are injured in motor vehicle accidents every day.

"Helping people understand the aging process and teaching a few tricks to help the elderly adjust to changes in driving skill are imperative to improving those statistics," said Candy Pettry, eldercare navigator at UK HealthCare.

To that end, UK HealthCare will host an American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Smart Driver safety course the second Thursday of every month at the Don and Cathy Jacobs Health Education Center in Pavilion A of the UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital.

This course is designed to help reduce the number of car accidents caused by elderly drivers through an open discussion about the changes that occur as a body ages and how that relates to safer driving.

"Participants will learn simple safety strategies that can reduce the likelihood of having a motor vehicle accident, as well as ways to adjust to the physical and cognitive changes that occur with the aging process," Pettry said.

The four-hour course begins at 11:30 a.m. The cost for AARP members is $15; non-members pay $20. That fee includes all materials needed to complete the course.

Participants might be eligible for a discount from their auto insurance provider once this course is completed. Even though the course material is geared towards older adults, anyone is welcome to attend. To register, call (859) 323-1890.

UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, go to: uky.edu/uk4ky. #uky4ky #seeblue

Media contact: Laura Dawahare, Laura.Dawahare@uky.edu, (859) 257-5307