Photo by Dan Williams on Unsplash 

Young or old, experienced or inexperienced, drivers are at risk of being involved in a collision each time they get behind the wheel. Fortunately, there are many ways that drivers can reduce their risk. One of these is safety lessons. Studies show that the longer drivers go without any lessons in safety, the more likely they are to forget or overlook defensive driving practices and perform risky maneuvers.  

This puts experienced drivers in a unique position. Although they have more practice, they are also more likely to have gone many years without taking safe driving lessons. While experience can give older drivers an advantage in terms of the scenarios they have dealt with, bad habits can become ingrained over years of repetition. Bad habits are difficult to break, especially when they’re connected to deep-rooted beliefs about driving and safety that require a large shift in perspective to counteract. 

“Did you know that drivers aged 65 and older have the largest number of fatalities [in motor vehicle traffic collisions] out of all age groups? (Transport Canada)”

-CAA 

Refresher Courses 

A little reminder now and then can help everyone. Refresher courses are intended to keep safety top-of-mind for drivers who don’t need to be taught how to drive. 

“Adults 55 to 64 saw a 13% increase in the number of fatalities [in motor vehicle traffic collisions] in 2020 compared to 2011.”

-Government of Canada 

Refresher training serves as a valuable reminder of good habits that may have slipped by the wayside over decades on the road. There may even be some newer road rules that were never taught to veteran drivers, or seldom-encountered situations that are up for a refresh. 

Alertdriving has short, single-topic focused courses available to give experienced drivers a quick refresher on topics like left turns. They’re not meant to teach people how to drive, but rather to help keep safety top-of-mind.  

“Statistics show that seniors have more accidents making left turns than any other drivers.”

-CAA 

Alertdriving also offers interactive lessons created to change the most stubborn beliefs that put more experienced drivers in danger. Our subject matter experts can customize a refresher program to improve drivers’ safety and reduce collisions across your entire fleet. Contact us for more information. 

Sources: 

https://www.caa.ca/driving-safely/senior-drivers/refresher-courses/ 

https://tc.canada.ca/en/road-transportation/statistics-data/road-safety-canada/2020/road-safety-canada-2020 

https://www.caa.ca/driving-safely/senior-drivers/