DRIVING PROGRAMS MAKE A PROFIT?

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

DRIVING PROGRAMS MAKE A PROFIT?
BONITA BEACH, FL: Sixty three year young Jose, who insists that she is a perfect driver, has another excuse for avoiding safe driving class. Says she, "these people are not going to make a profit off of me". Yes, some programs make a profit, pay the teachers, and give money to the local sponsor. There's nothing wrong with this if that particular class gives you what you want and need. It's like most anything you buy in a store. You pay the price because you want the item more than you want the money required to obtain it.

But, not all safe driving programs are profit-making. For example, the AARP Driver Safety Program charges only $10 which pays for the class materials and the volunteer Instructor's modest costs of driving, postage or other related expenses.
The local sponsors give free use of the classroom and audio-visual equipment as their service to the community. Most sponsors provide refreshments for the breaks. Others give the participants a lunch each day. Local newspapers give free space to class schedules and featured articles about safe driving. It is a real community cooperative effort to make the streets safer for everyone.

There are heavy expenses for printing, warehousing and shipping the AARP literature and work books. It costs to train and retrain the Instructors. New in 2006 is Edition 6 of this program. It was 2 years in its making by a number of traffic safety and educational experts. And, yes, there are normal wages for a very few full-time administrative persons. All this adds up to a substantial annual shortfall which AARP pays from its other budgets. No profit here, just more than 10,000 program volunteers and thousands of sponsors who want to help you be a safer driver. Go for it, Jose!
GHD116 all rights reserved

SAFETY BELTS LOSE EFFECTIVENESS

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

SAFETY BELTS LOSE EFFECTIVENESS
BLOOMINGTON, IL: Sarah C. did not know that after a safety belt has been involved in a crash it should be replaced. Her unfortunate second crash was very severe because the previously stretched belt tore apart. These safety devices are designed to stretch under stress as part of their life-saving function. But once stretched they are weakened and in another crash they can break. So insist that the collision shop include new belts in its repair estimate.

Better to not have a crash, much less several. But all too often the fault is with another driver's carelessness. A recent study of hundreds of thousands of crashes found that vehicle occupants without belts had $5,000 higher hospital bills. It cost $68 million extra for hospital care in just 7 states to heal unbelted occupants. In addition there were another 40% in costs for related medical attention. These higher costs rarely come from the pockets of the injured. Most is paid by insurance companies and governments. Guess from where they get the money? It has been estimated that this refusal to use safety belts costs all of us together about $20 billion every year. It’s hidden in the cost of just about everything we buy and thus we are not aware that we are paying for these selfish, foolish persons.

A Motorists Association objected to state laws making belt use mandatory, something about loss of another personal freedom. It is no freedom to be forced to pay the medical costs for another's willful unsafe acts.
GHD115 all rights reserved

A FOLLOWER THOU SHALT BE

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

A FOLLOWER THOU SHALT BE
Wake Forest, NC: Auto safety expert, Joe Mangum., says it is well accepted that older drivers have slightly slower reaction times. And, it lessens with advancing age. This means that we need to find ways to compensate in such common driving situations as following the vehicle ahead.

Joe uses the 3 second rule. Older drivers should keep a 3 second safe space between their vehicle and the one ahead. This is measured by sighting a stationary object alongside the highway as the zero point for the vehicle ahead. Adjust your vehicle speed to pass that same point at least 3 seconds later.

Recognize, though, that some impolite speed-demon may take advantage of you and jump into your safe space. Don't get angry or blow the horn or fuss and fume as that may cause you to do something dumb too. Just smile and readjust your space cushion to account for what now may be an unsafe driver in front of you. Joe claims that on one trip from Raleigh to Durham so many autos jumped in front of his that with constant space adjustments he ended up back in Raleigh!
GHD114 all rights reserved

MIRROR MIRROR ON THE DOORS

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

MIRROR MIRROR ON THE DOORS
SANTA ROSA, CA: Hearing Specialist, J. Martinez, asks why is it that we accept wearing eye glasses as a necessity yet will not admit to our need for a hearing aid? Declining ability to hear is a common occurrence as we age, just like graying hair.

Here is some crash proofing for persons with a hearing loss. Make full use of the 3 mirrors placed there by the auto manufacturer for our safety. Many of us do not use the right-side mirror, or at least not often enough. In modern cars it is especially difficult to hear the horns, bells, and whistles of emergency vehicles to locate where they are. More use of all our mirrors would alert us to their flashing lights.

Loud radios and conversation can be distractive to hearing impaired drivers. Older drivers, fortunate to have good hearing, can be distracted, too, by an inability to process quickly enough a number of competing sound inputs. Passengers, riding with drivers who are easily confused by too many messages, can protect themselves from harm by not adding to the driver's distractions.

There are also many other potentially dangerous situations, such as erratic approaching drivers, which can be spotted in the mirrors. If we are more aware of vehicles behind us we have less chance that an unexpected vehicle has moved into our side mirror blind spots. Side mirrors can be adjusted to minimize, but not eliminate, blind spots. But always turn your head, and shoulder if necessary, to look to the rear before changing lanes.
GHD113 all rights reserved