55+ class paves the way for this old geezer

For a couple years the mailings from AARP have been flooding my mailbox. I’ve been on the receiving end of retirement seminars. And then there’s been other “senior” specials earmarked just for me. For the most part, I’ve successfully dodged them, mostly out of spite to refuse the obvious of getting old.

But there’s one that just recently caught up with me. It’s the 55+ Driver Discount Program offered by Minnesota Highway Safety and Research Center at St. Cloud State University. Even though I’m easily past the 55 mark, I finally broke down to face the reality that I’m not getting any younger.

Wait, didn’t I just pass my driver’s test as a 16-year-old? Well, that’s obviously a stretch, but I’m sure many can relate on where I’m coming from. The years are just flying by.

I’ll admit I was a little apprehensive setting foot into the 55+ driver class. You do have the option of taking it online or going in person. I opted to get away from the screen for a few hours before I create an even bigger mess by losing my eyesight on top of everything.

If there was any consolation to putting my nerves at ease, it was the fact that I think I was the youngest one there. Everybody else seemed to be well into their 70s and even 80s, which kind of surprised me as this was the 8-hour class, which means nobody had taken the class before.

My instructor said many people are not aware of this class. Minnesota law provides that you will save 10% on your auto insurance premium by taking the initial class and then follow-up 4-hour refreshers every three years. The initial class costs $28 while the refreshers are $24.

The driving course focused on the three Ps—patience, polite and prevention. Sprinkle a little of each of those into your driving routine and you could keep you from becoming a statistic.

Folks need to pay close attention as they maneuver around in their vehicles, especially in this area. Seventy percent of crashes happen in outstate Minnesota. Rural two-lane roadways are the most dangerous as they see the highest level of fatal crashes.

And 50% of all fatalities result from people not being buckled up with seat belts. While seat belt usage is at 94% across the state, greater Minnesota, for some reason, has less compliance when it comes to buckling up.

Not surprisingly, 94% of all crashes are human error. One of the biggest causes is distracted driving. The overriding message was that most crashes are preventable.

One law that I wasn’t familiar with was the recently changed Move Over Law. As of last July, the law expanded to include stalled or disabled vehicles with lights flashing, or if at least one person is visibly present outside the vehicle. Of course, you still need to move over for the vehicles of emergency and highway workers.

From now on, I don’t have to just take the word of my kids, which I may add has been said way before it should have been, to realize I’m getting to be ancient. I have my Driver Discount certificate to prove I am old.

Now it’s up to me to go in hot pursuit of concentrating on safe driving even as I get older.