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wincide with Natioun! Seniors

Safety Week (November 7 ta 13,
1999)

BY the year 2001, one
in every five Canadians
will be over the age of
65. Maintaining a cri-
ver’s licence is an impor-
tant issue of ind

dence for older
Canadians, especially to
those who have driven
for most of their life.

On a per-person basis,
mature drivers have less than
tie average number of colli-
sions, But on a per-kilometre
basis, the over-70 age group is
involved in a disproportionate-
ly high number of collisions.

The aging process brings

changes that can affect the

older driver’s ability tu drive
safely. These include: reduced
vision, particularly at night; 2
decrease in depth perception;
and movement-limiting dis-
abilities such as arthritis and
rheumatism which slow down
response.

‘The rate of aging varies for
each individual, but it is impor-
tant to recognize age-related
changes and learn how to com-
pensate for them.

Hearing Prob!ems

the Burnaby ond East Vancouver,
community since 1986. We're
a family operation — and we con-
sider each and every one of you to
be a part of our extended family.
Over the yews, we've gained a
solid seputation for our attentive,
knowledgeable sales siaff, exciting
line-up of quality Mazda vehicles
and our compeiitive prices.

Wolfe Mazda is proud to have served

1595 Boundary Read at Ist Ave

NEWS photo Mike Waketield

MOBILITY is a key to independence for older folks but allowances must be made for any diminished abiiities.

Visit your physician if you
think you have a hearing loss.
He/she can refer you to an
appropriate specialist if you
need one.

Betore purchasing a hearing

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aid, insist on an evaluation of
your hearing ability by an audi-
ologist.

Allow time to adjust to your
hearing aid. kt makes sounds
louder, not clearer,

Woife Mazda. you can rest
assured. Not only will you enjoy
the best possible sales exper-
ence, we're known throughout
the area for our excellent
ater-sales service und parts
department. We go to great
lengths to ensure your satisfsc-
tion — and why wouldn't we -
you're one of the family!

Ac CENA / SE RETA

S-passenger nat

Telephone: 294~4229

Leave your car window par-
dally open; enough to allow
you to hear waming signals.“

Keep car radio noise te an
absolute minimum.

Place the air conditioner or
heater blower units on the low-

est setting, if possible.

W talking while driving dis-
tracts you, ask passengers not
to communicate with you
unless they raust quickly get
your attention. In general, it is
best to concentrate more on
your! driving than on talking
with passengers.

Right-of-Way

Never insist on taking the

right-of-way even when you
know it should be yours. Never

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pur your right ahead of your
safety.

Yield to all traffic on the
controlled route. Remember,
yield signs mean you should
slow down and give way to
traffic on the road you are
entering or crossing.

Yield and obey at all times
when directed to do so by a
police officer.

When _ starting froma
parked pasition you must yield
to all moving traffic.

ff wo vehicles enter an
uncontrolled intersection at
the same time ftom different
directions, the vehicle on the
left must yield. Remember, the
law does not really give anyon
the right-of-way. It only says

Ur cir

ving

who must vield. Having the
right-of-way does not autho-
nize neghgent or blind Criving
at intersections,

See and Be Seen

Have periodic proteswonal
vision examinations to check
for vision changes, syniptoms
of eve discase and general
health problems.

Give yourself time to adjust
to new eyeglass prescriptions,
especially to bifocals and tifo-
cals, Practise with new bifocals
or trifocals while the car is sta-
tionary to develop proper head
and eye movement for near and
distance viewing, using mirrors
and checking the instrument
panel.

Have your _ eyeglasses
checked periodically to make
sure that the lenses and frames
remain properly adjusted for
efficient vision.

If you wear contact lenses,
be sure to follow instructions

_ for proper care and cleaning.

Avoid eyeglass frames with
wide, heavy tempies (side
pieces). When located on 2
level with the eyes, these can
seriously restrict side vision.

Keep windshields and rear
windows clean, inside and out.

Replace worn windshield
wiper blades and check period-
ically for windshield scratches
and deterioration. Replace
windshiclds that are badly
scratched or deteriorated.

Use good quality sunglasses
to reduce glare; grey or green
ones are bese.

Try to avoid driving at
dawn and dusk, the most diffi-
cult tinie of day to sev.

Foliowing Distance

Allow a minimum following
distance of three seconds in
good weather and more in bad
weather,

Pick out some stationary
object on the road ahead —
maybe a bridge, road sign, or
pole. When the rear of the
vehicle you are following
arrives at the selected object,
begin to count — one-thou-
sand-one, one-thousand-two,
one-thousand-three. If your
vehicle arrives at the object
before you have compleied this
three-second count, you are
following too closely. ‘

Even in the best of condi-
tions, the three-second formu:
fa is just adequate. Reaction
time is slower than ‘it used to
be, and most road conditions
are never ideal. So always apply
the minimum three-second fol- : -
lowing - distance: to. -your dri.
ving. :

The older driver. should
maintain a threc-second fol-.
lowing distance durirg; good
weather and increase the dis-
tance in: bad weather...

Refresh your Driving Skills

Even if you haven’t ‘been
involved itt a collision in 40
years, it may be time to review
your driving skiils,

With aging, changes occur
in heering, vision, flexibility
and reaction time. You can
learn to adjust your skills to
compensate for those changes.

The 55 Alive Driver
Refresher Course is designed
to heip older drivers maintain
their independence and their
driving privileges.

Contact the Canada Safety. -.
Council to find out where it is
available near you. ,