If it’s been decades since you learned to drive, you may worry that you’re out of practice or losing your touch. Taking a driving safety class can help you learn new skills and regain confidence behind the wheel.
By 2030, there will be 70 million people age 65 and older, and up to 90% will have a driver license, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). Changes that may come with age can affect your driving and up your risk of getting into a crash, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
But that’s not the only reason to take a driving class. It’s also helpful to get up to speed on recent changes in vehicle technology, traffic controls and driving techniques, says William Van Tassel, manager of driver training programs for AAA.
“The longer it’s been since you’ve gotten an update, the more reason to refresh your driving skills,” Van Tassel says.
Why Take a Driving Safety Class?
Experience can help you become a better driver as you gain confidence navigating different roads and driving conditions.
But over time, you may forget some rules of the road, experience physical changes from aging, or purchase a new vehicle with technology you’ve never used before.
“Most people have developed some bad driving habits over the years,” says Jennifer Fox, a certified driver rehabilitation specialist and founder of Drive Rehab Services.
For these reasons, you may want to take a driving safety class. A class can help you:
- Brush up on newer state and local laws. One example: All 50 states now have “move over laws” requiring drivers who see flashing lights by the side of the road to change lanes or slow down. Yet one-third of drivers are unaware of these laws, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- Learn new driving techniques to stay safer behind the wheel. Ever heard of a zipper merge? This newer technique for merging involves staying in your lane until the merge point, and then easing into the other lane one vehicle at a time, like the teeth of a zipper. “It goes a lot smoother and faster” than trying to merge too soon, Van Tassel says.
- Make a plan to avoid distracted driving. Older drivers tend to get distracted by cell phones less frequently than younger drivers. Still, 60% of adults 65 and older report using their cell phone while driving. Older drivers tend to shift focus for shorter lengths of time, but even the briefest distractions are dangerous, Van Tassel says. He recommends identifying your most common distractions and finding ways to eliminate them, whether that means plugging your destination into the GPS before you leave or pulling over to eat a snack.
- Adjust your driving for new vehicle technology. Adaptive cruise control, auto emergency braking and lane-keeping assistance are all relatively new safety features, and they change the way we drive. “Driving safety courses are a perfect way to get up to speed on what those systems will and will not do [and] their limitations,” Van Tassel says. One example: automatic emergency braking does a poor job detecting pedestrians at night, he says: “It’s better to drive as if you don’t have this technology and let it back you up if needed.”
