DRIVING PROBLEMS TO CONSIDER

WRECK-LESS DRIVING ©
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist

DRIVING PROBLEMS TO CONSIDER
CACHE, UT: Pam R. asks, "what kind of driving problems should I be aware of as I get older?" The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) poses these questions which older drivers should ask frequently of themselves:

*Do drivers seem to stop in front of you suddenly?
*Do cars suddenly come out of nowhere?
*Are other drivers in too big a rush?
*Do you sometimes "miss" a sign?
*Are roads getting too confusing?
*Are gaps in traffic harder to judge?
*Do you take medicine?
*Is it tough to make sharp turns?
*Are highways getting to be more trouble?
*Is night driving getting more difficult?

NHTSA has suggestions for dealing with these signs of impending driving dangers. In future columns we will discuss some of these as replies to the similar questions our readers have raised with us. In the meantime please give some attention to any of the above which are particularly evident to you. Discuss possible solutions with other drivers and then see how they match up with the ones suggested by NHTSA..
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DEFENSIVE DRIVING BENEFITS EVERYONE

WRECK-LESS DRIVING ©
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist

DEFENSIVE DRIVING BENEFITS EVERYONE
EVERYWHERE, USA: With a number of highly regarded defensive driving programs available for persons over age 50 it is surprising that employers do not make their workers aware of them. Just think about the costs an employer must assume when an employee is injured in a collision, in or out of working hours.

Increased medical insurance premiums, disability payments, substitute employees, perhaps loss of a highly trained worker, new profitable opportunities delayed or lost, legal-liability costs if the crash was work related, and increased worker compensation premiums are the most obvious losses for employers.

One would think that for the few dollars and few hours these safe driving courses cost employers would publicize them and sponsor the classes. Even more productive would be the employer paying the class fee and/or setting up classes on company time and premises. Certainly any employee over age 50 whose job requires street driving should be required to participate in these adult learning classrooms. Many hospitals sponsor these programs. Why not also HMO's and health insurance companies for their employees and their clients?

The benefit is not just to the employer. A wreck-less employee has much to gain, too. Also in 36 states and DC the legislatures require that insurance companies give an additional insurance premium incentive to older drivers who complete an approved course. Even the auto insurers stand to gain. Just one million-dollar claim avoided more than covers the total premium incentives offered. Everyone benefits.
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YELLOW MEANS STOP

WRECK-LESS DRIVING ©
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist

YELLOW MEANS STOP
EAST HARTFORD, CT: Eilean H. died in the hospital hours after a two-car crash. She was eastbound on US 44, making a left turn at a controlled intersection when northbound Doris K. struck the front passenger door of Eilean's 1995 red compact sports car. Witnesses said that as the traffic light for Eilean's direction turned yellow her vehicle increased speed noticeably but was still in the intersection when the light turned red.

Her vehicle had no front air bags nor would they have helped much in this side collision. Investigators said that she would have lived had she worn the safety belt. Doris was shaken and bruised but was saved from major harm by both the front air bag and by the safety belt.

The safe driving lessons here are several. When the traffic light turns yellow, stop. Use the safety belts, even if the vehicle is equipped with air bags. When you have the green light do not assume that the way is clear, especially if the signals have just changed. Older persons have more fragile bodies, sustain more injuries, and heal more slowly, if ever.

There is an age-old joke about new drivers thinking that yellow means "drive faster". Unfortunately many seasoned drivers believe it still. Had Eilean driven a newer auto with side air bags she might have survived. Side and front air bags are even safer when the safety belts are used also.
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AUTOMOBILES MADE AMERICA GREAT

AUTOMOBILES MADE AMERICA GREAT
WRECK-LESS DRIVING©
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist

AUTOMOBILES MADE AMERICA GREAT
DETROIT, MI.: Bruce S. tells us that the automotive trades are the most important businesses in the United States. Just consider this, he says: There are about 150 million licensed drivers in the USA. And, he adds, an uncountable number of unlicensed ones. They all are spending money whenever they start the motor. In fact they are spending even if the car is not used because depreciation continues relentlessly. Also about 50 million of them are over age 55 and many spend lots of dough on their autos.

Consider the many businesses that are connected to autos: Automobile, truck, and van manufacturers; new, used, or rebuilt vehicle dealerships; original equipment manufacturers and replacement parts fabricators; makers and sellers of soaps and waxes; national repair franchises; petroleum refiners and exploration companies; filling stations and convenience stores; insurance companies and agents; banks,loan companies and repossessors; traffic enforcement, courts and bondsmen; radar manufacturers and sellers.

And more: Lubrication shops, car washes, drive-in eateries; advertising agencies; newspapers and magazines; travel agencies; hotels/motels; tires and wheel alignment; tow trucks; collision repair; emergency medical facilities; the ships, rail cars, and trucks which haul them; and many more. Almost every facet of modern living depends upon the motor vehicle business in some way. How many more can you name? One out of every ten jobs is connected somehow to the automobile.

Bruce claims that it is the invention of the automobile which has made us such a prosperous nation. Have you ever thought about your car, SUV, motorcycle or truck being such an important element in our American economy?
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WRECK-LESS DRIVING© FOR YOU

WRECK-LESS DRIVING©

For YOU

by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist


PROVEN INFORMATION ON HOW YOU CAN REMAIN A

WRECK-LESS DRIVER


A “MUST READ” SUPPLEMENT FOR ALL DRIVER EDUCATION CLASSES


HOW TO GET AN ADDITIONAL AUTO INSURANCE PREMIUM REDUCTION

QUICK READING - ENTERTAINING - FOR BUSY PERSONS

READ HERE WEEKLY AND IN
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SEEING INTO THE DEEP

WRECK-LESS DRIVING ©
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist

SEEING INTO THE DEEP
CASPER, WY: Rolling through Casper's main street, Jerry's brother had to warn Jerry several times that he was coming up too quickly behind stopped vehicles. Beginning about a year ago Jerry had himself noticed his same slow reaction to red traffic lights. It was even more noticeable at night. But like so many of us he just denied a change in his perception until today when his brother was harping on him about it.

As we age our eye's natural lenses harden slowly and discolor. The ligaments attached to the lens are less and less able to reshape the lens from close sight to far sight. That is why we need new prescription contacts or eye glasses every so often - and more often the older we get.

Without corrective lenses or updated ones most persons over age 50 have some of this depth perception problem. It may cause them to roar up to a "stop" situation and then at the last moment slam on the brakes because of this declining ability to judge distances. Or they may make a disastrous left-turn in front of an on-coming vehicle. – the most frequent crash cause of older drivers. Many younger drivers experience sight changes also.

Proper corrective lenses help with depth perception but not perfectly. Thus, older drivers need to be aware of (admit to) this visual decline and begin slowing the vehicle sooner and more smoothly. Persons who have had their natural lenses removed in a cataract procedure have an even greater depth perception deficit. Their cut ligaments are not attached to the plastic lens implant which replaces the natural lens and cannot continually reshape it. Bi-trifocal and progressive eye glass lenses help but nothing equals the eyesight of our youth.
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