University of Pittsburgh, AAA fit cars to senior drivers' needs
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The University of Pittsburgh and AAA are joining forces to help older drivers stay safe on the road.
Older Americans are the fastest-growing population in the United States and by 2030, 1 in 5 drivers will be age 65 or older. That means there will be 30 million older drivers on the roads, according to www.Car-Fit.org , and a number of other websites.
Last week, students and officials in the free "CarFit" program helped evaluate the cars of older drivers at the Penn Hills Senior Citizens Center. Three weeks ago, AAA, the American Automobile Association, conducted the program at McKenna Senior Center in Greensburg for 15 older drivers.
Terri Rae Anthony, safety advisor for the association, said officials take 15-20 minutes to help review each car to make sure seat belts, mirrors, seats and steering wheels are properly adjusted.
About 15 graduate students in Pitt's Department of Occupational Therapy helped with the evaluations.
"Some people fear we are going to take away their driver's license or test them, but we simply want to help them remain in their cars and to drive safely," Ms. Anthony said.
They go through a 12-point checklist with drivers.
For shorter drivers, for example, they make sure the seat belt attachment to the door frame is adjusted so the belt doesn't cut into a person's neck. Some drivers are unaware that the belt attachment can be lowered, and if the seat belt is uncomfortable, drivers may wear it incorrectly, or not at all.
Then they make sure the driver sits the proper distance from the steering wheel -- and can see over the wheel.
"Ideally, you want to sit 10-12 inches from the steering wheel and the airbag inside the steering wheel," Ms. Anthony said. Most cars are now equipped to change the position of the steering wheel up or down, as well.
A driver's line of vision should be at least three inches above the steering wheel. If they can't sit high enough to attain that, even with lowering the steering wheel, then sitting on a wedge cushion may help.
Ms. Anthony said drivers often move the front seat too close to the steering wheel so they can reach the brakes.
For those with shorter legs, many cars come with pedal extenders, she said, or officials can refer drivers to places that sell them.
Another important adjustment is the car mirrors -- to eliminate driver blind spots.
"We stand behind the car and outside the car" to best eliminate blind spots by adjusting the side mirrors and rearview mirror, she said.
"It's most important to see the lane beside you," Ms. Anthony said. "Some of us were taught to adjust the side mirrors so the driver could see the side of the car, too, but we advise they move it to see more of the lane."
Officials of the program also can tell seniors where to buy other mirrors to attach that better show approaching vehicles. Most passenger-side mirrors show objects that appear farther away than they actually are.
Pam Toto, assistant professor in Pitt's Department of Occupational Therapy, helped get the university involved in the program for seniors about five years ago.
"Driving is an important occupation of older adults," she said. "It's important to their mobility and freedom and allows them to participate in their communities. We want to educate and inform our older adults.
"For instance, there are ways we can recommend for drivers to get in and out of a vehicle more easily," she said.
Alyssa Rittenhouse is one of the students who participated in the program at the Penn Hills Senior Center on Nov. 16.
Her first client was a 78-year-old woman who uses her car every day.
"It would be devastating to her to lose that, so my partner and I were helping to make sure she can continue to drive safely," she said.
Ms. Rittenhouse, of North Huntingdon, is in a two-year master's program for occupational therapy and got an undergraduate degree there in rehabilitation science. She is participating in "CarFit" as part of a class in Occupation Across the Lifespan.
"First we had a training event at AAA as a class, and then we practice on each other," she said. "This was the first event we had with seniors."
Ms. Anthony and Ms. Toto said they also can refer seniors to other community resources and programs.
Drivers 55 and older can take a mature driver class, for instance, and get a discount on their auto insurance. Those discounts can range from 5 percent to 15 percent, depending on the company, and there are some restrictions.
The automobile association and AARP offer the classes, which are usually for eight hours over two days. Drivers then take a 4-hour refresher class every three years.
Ms. Anthony said in the automobile association class, seniors often are advised to try to drive during non-rush hour traffic, when there are fewer cars on the road.
"We suggest they make doctor appointments for the afternoon, not early in the morning," she said.
In addition, officials might suggest seniors avoid left turns across traffic, especially on busy roadways, or driving at night if their vision has declined.
AAA said that because of their fragility, seniors have the highest crash death rate per mile of all drivers except teenagers.
And as the number of older drivers increases, some states have adapted their laws to accommodate seniors. In California, for example, seniors can obtain driver's licenses with the restriction that they drive only on local roads. After a test, they may be restricted to driving to the grocery store, bank and post office -- a route they take most often. Drivers would agree to not drive on the freeways, during rush hour or at night, depending on their circumstances.
Ms. Anthony said she was not aware of California's restricted licenses but thought it sounded interesting. She said AAA can take the "CarFit" program to any senior center in Western Pennsylvania, and she urged the public to contact her to set up programs.
"We're looking for more sites," she said.
Interested residents and organizations can call AAA East Central, located in East Liberty, at 412-365-7157.
First Published December 1, 2011 12:00 am
