AARP Smart Driver Courses in Belfast

Wed, 03/04/2015 - 4:00pm

BELFAST —   AARP's revamped and updated Smart Driver course features a new workbook and new videos, both based on a research-based curriculum. This course is for motorists age 50 and older to sharpen their driving skills by updating their driving knowledge.

The course is presented through a partnership between the Volunteers of America, Northern New England, and AARP.

Smart Driver instructor Paul Sheridan’s workshops this spring will take place in Belfast at the Reynolds House, 33 Booth Dr., at Congress Street, off Rt.1

The dates are Friday, March 27 or Tuesday, May 12.

Learn how to best adjust side view mirrors to eliminate blind spots; how to apply the three-second rule, and when should that become a 4, 5 or a 6-second rule.

The main thrust of the course is about giving driver every possible advantage to be able to continue to drive safely.

Participants will be encouraged to look at current driving habits while reinforcing the good ones, consider new habits, and increase awareness of changes in the roads, cars, and drivers.

There is no exam, and all work is in the classroom, and workbooks can be kept for future reference.

Those attending will learn defensive driving techniques and strategies, review new traffic laws, rules of the road and more in the four-hour course. They will discover how to adjust their driving to age-related changes in vision, hearing, and reaction time through an interactive discussion. Topics include the changing technology on newer vehicles and the warning signs that suggest when it is time to give up the keys.

Maine drivers 55 years or older who successfully complete the AARP course are eligible for a car insurance discount, good for three years.

The times for either class are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a half hour for participants to eat their bag lunch.

Course seating is limited; there is a $20 fee, with a $5 discount for AARP members; advanced registration is required. Call 338-0350 to reserve a seat and for directions.