AARP Offers Safe Summer Driving Tips

FARMINGTON, MO (KDKZ-TV)The summer driving season has begun, and AARP Missouri has some helpful tips to keep everyone safe on the roads.

Joseph Storms, who teaches a safe-driving course for AARP, advised making sure your vehicle is in good condition before leaving home, so you don’t have a breakdown. When driving long distances, he said, pull over and take a break every so often so you’re not too tired to drive. A lot of basic rules of the road would reduce the number of accidents, he said.

“Follow the three-second rule when you’re following somebody. Be careful at intersections and yielding the right of way,” he said. “Those are some things we need to increase our attention to.”

Storms said it’s also a good idea to keep the gas tank at least half- to one-quarter full at all times to avoid being stranded, and keep a map in the car even if you know the route. Older drivers who want a quick refresher course on driving skills can sign up for a low-cost, six-hour AARP “Smart Driver” course.

Traffic rules, driving conditions and the roads all have changed over the years, Storms said, and so have vehicles.

“The dashboard is becoming more like the cockpit of an airplane, so there’s a lot of gadgets and things that we didn’t have years ago,” he said, “and so we just have to be aware of that.”

More than 15 million participants have taken AARP Driver Safety classroom and online courses, which are taught by more than 4,000 volunteer instructors across the country. The courses are available in both English and Spanish.