Mature drivers will have a chance to brush up on their road knowledge with a refresher course this September.
The Saskatchewan Safety Council (SSC) is offering a free course for drivers 55 years or older. The course is touring around Saskatchewan for most of autumn. It will be held in Yorkton on Sept. 15 at the New Horizons Seniors Centre.
Lee Carlson, a safety consultant and intructor for the SSC, will be leading the course in Yorkton. Carlson has been involved with the program for 14 years.
“The context of the program is to create a level of awareness in mature drivers,” he said.
The course, which usually runs for six hours, covers a host of topics from seatbelt safety, basic road signs, airbags, typical and hazardous driving situations, and accident prevention. Carlson wants to keep mature drivers informed and educated.
“Driving is a routine task. We take it for granted,” he said. “Rules and regulations change.”
While driving courses can seem intimidating to the public, Carlson reassures people the program is pressure-free.
“There’s no test whatsoever,” he said. “Participation doesn’t affect [your] licenses.
“Everything’s positive.”
SSC is a nonprofit organization. It is not connected with SGI or other government branches. Its main goal is to provide safety education.
Carlson has traveled throughout the province as part of the mature drivers program. He’s visited Yorkton several times and he looks forward to meeting new people.
“We always get a good response,” he said.
Carlson hopes attendees of the course learn how interconnected drivers can be, especially when it comes to car crashes.
“One collision impacts us all,” he said. “We’re all in it together.
“Eighty per cent of all collisions are preventable,” he added. “There’s no such thing as an accident.”
Anyone interested in attending the mature drivers course can register at the New Horizons Centre or call 1-855-280-7115 toll free. Additional questions can be emailed to [email protected].
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