Seniors set to get free AA coaching session

Monday 1 August 2016

Seniors set to get free AA coaching session

Advances in health care and technology mean New Zealanders are living and driving for longer, but how do we ensure that the driving we’re doing in our golden years is up to speed? The AA is set to roll out a solution.

From August 1 the AA is offering one free practical driving session every two years to its Members aged 80 years and older. It’s called AA Senior Drivers and it’s specifically designed to help senior drivers stay confident and safe behind the wheel.

AA Driving School General Manager Roger Venn says that as a car loving nation, our need for our vehicles doesn’t just end when we retire.

“Whether you’re 18, 45 or 80, the truth is we all want to retain the mobility, freedom and independence that driving gives us,” he says.

“We know when seniors stop driving it has a massive impact on their lives. They feel isolated from friends and family, experience a sense of loss of control and struggle to run their everyday errands and tasks,” says Mr Venn.

He adds that for many senior drivers new road infrastructure or traffic hotspots can be intimidating and often shake their confidence in their own abilities.

“Things have changed dramatically on the roads to compensate for more traffic and different forms of transport, which we know from our research tends to intimidate some senior drivers,” says Mr Venn.

“Giving them a chance to navigate these changes with an instructor and in their own car helps to confirm their awareness of their own skills and build their confidence, which also makes them safer on the road.

“For others it’s a matter of raising awareness of basic changes in your car – like adjusting the seat, steering wheel and seatbelt –and the positive impact that can make on your driving,” he says.

These are all aspects covered in the free one hour AA Senior Drivers session. Members become eligible for the benefit again every two years to help senior drivers refresh their skills. The AA believes it will help them safely extend the life of their driver licence.

“At age 75 we have to be assessed by a doctor to see if we’re fit to continue driving, and we may be required to sit the on-road test again. After we turn 80, that process occurs every two years, so the Senior Drivers programme coincides with that,” says Mr Venn.

While older drivers don't have as many crashes as younger drivers, they and older passengers, if involved in a crash, are more at risk of being seriously injured or killed. This is largely due to them becoming frailer.

“With majority of all crashes on New Zealand roads coming down to driver error, we believe a regular skills refresh is a positive way to keep some of our most vulnerable drivers safe on the road.”

AA Members will be able to book their free Senior Drivers session from August 1 online on the
AA website or by calling 0800 223 748. Members must be at least 80-years-old, must hold a valid driver licence and have access to a car and an email address. For more information please visitwww.aa.co.nz/senior-driver.

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