NEWS RELEASE
CONTACT:
Michele Harris, Traffic Safety Consultant, AAA - The Auto Club Group, office: (813) 289-5831, cell: (813) 785-2335, MMHarris@AAASouth.com
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NEWS RELEASE CONTACT: Michele Harris, Traffic Safety Consultant, AAA - The Auto Club Group, office: (813) 289-5831, cell: (813) 785-2335, MMHarris@AAASouth.com |
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DRIVER SAFETY IS A FAMILY AFFAIR
Holidays Can Help Loved Ones Mitigate Crash Risk
TAMPA, Fla. (December 5, 2016) — Heading into one of the busiest holiday travel times of the year, the observance of Older Driver Safety Awareness Week, December 5 – 9, 2016, serves as a timely reminder to keep safety top of mind while driving. Not only will there be increased traffic on our nation’s roadways, many families will be reuniting with loved ones they may not see very often. This represents an occasion to have open conversations about aging drivers staying safe while behind the wheel.
“The holidays often afford families the opportunity to spend more time together,” said Amy Stracke, Managing Director, Traffic Safety Advocacy, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Many times, this is when family members begin to notice that a loved one’s health could be impacting their safe driving abilities.”
Visual, cognitive and movement impairments can occur at any age, making it more difficult to drive. However, as people get older, medical conditions that affect driving become more prevalent. Many older drivers don’t face serious medical conditions or limitations that impact their driving, but knowing the risks and warning signs can help to reduce crash risk.
“Conversations about safe driving can evoke strong emotional reactions as concerns about personal independence and managing other day-to-day activities may come into question, said Michele Harris, Traffic Safety Consultant, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “It’s important that older drivers and their families approach these sensitive conversations as opportunities for constructive communication and problem solving.”
AAA offers the following safe driving tools and resources that can be found on its interactive website, SeniorDriving.AAA.com:
About The Auto Club Group
The Auto Club Group (ACG) is the second largest AAA club in North America. ACG and its affiliates provide membership, travel, insurance and financial services offerings to over 9 million members across eleven states and two U.S. territories including Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; most of Illinois and Minnesota; and a portion of Indiana. ACG belongs to the national AAA federation with more than 56 million members in the United States and Canada and whose mission includes protecting and advancing freedom of mobility and improving traffic safety.