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Program helps seniors enhance driving skills

By Harry Funk 2 min read
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If you’re looking for a bit of a break on your auto insurance premiums, you might consider taking the lead of Bob and Carmella Wehrle.

The Upper St. Clair residents enrolled in a Seniors for Safe Driving course, completion of which, by state law, guarantees at least a 5 percent savings on insurance for three years.

Bob took his participation one step further.

“My wife was looking for something for me to do, and they were looking for an instructor in the South Hills,” the retired railroad official said. So for the past three years, he has been teaching motorists ages 55 and older how to avoid accidents and stay behind the wheel for as long as possible.

“I go over revisions to the Pennsylvania Driver’s Manual and talk about new laws that are in effect and how they can affect mature drivers,” Wehrle said. “I talk about the risks involved for older drivers and the things they can do to cut down on those risks.”

According to Seniors for Safe Driving, a community service program based in Butler, advancing age can cause specific physical, cognitive and visual abilities to decline, which in turn can lead to problems with stressful driving situations such as merging or changing lanes. Medication can be a factor for drivers of any age, but particularly can affect seniors.

“A lot of older drivers have trouble with their confidence,” Wehrle added.

That situation could be compounded by advancements in technology, as features in today’s vehicles don’t exactly resemble what was available for a ’76 El Dorado. Among the newer innovations Wehrle teaches about are backup cameras and crash-avoidance systems.

He is one of 11 instructors throughout Western Pennsylvania who teach at a variety of locations provided by hosts and sponsors. First-time students take a two-day program, for a total of seven class hours, while the refresher course is one day and four hours, as established by the state Department of Transportation.

South Hills locations include Paramount Senior Living in Bethel Park and the Upper St. Clair Community and Recreation Center. Classes also are available online.

For more information, call 724-283-0245 or 800-559-4880, or visit www.sfsd-pa.com.

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