CarFit helps seniors adjust to vehicles in safe manner
CRANBERRY TWP — Cars have more gadgets, dials and gauges than when senior citizens tarted driving, which can cause some safety concerns if they are unable to make adjustments.
The township police department and EMS, along with AAA, AARP and American Occupational Therapy Association recently sponsored a CarFit program to help seniors be safer drivers.
The program is a 12-point personal checklist to suggest recommendations for adjustments and the use of adaptive devices, such as pedal, visor or seat belt extenders.
Terry Rae Anthony, safety adviser with AAA East Central, said the purpose of CarFit is not a driving evaluation, but to look at how senior adults fit in their cars for safety purposes. There are often functions on the car that older adults don’t know how to use because the technology has changed.
“The way we learned back then is not always the best way, so there are some changes, and we are really excited to share that information with them,” she said. “The premise is if you fit in your car better then you will be able to drive safer and longer.”
As people age their vision changes including their peripheral vision, so the blind spots tend to get bigger, Anthony said.
“So it is really important that you have the mirrors set properly,” she said.
Sgt. William Ahlgren said mirrors were just one item being checked. Volunteers also were checking drivers to see if they could reach the pedals and view dashboard instruments.
“Just as we tell our 16-year- olds and young kids, I always teach them that driving is a learned experience. It is not something you get out of a book. It is something you learn as you go,” he said.
“Now as we become seniors it is not that we are relearning, we are just re-educating ourselves because things keep changing, and we change as we get older.”
Suggested items that can help seniors are a leg lifter to assist with getting into and out of a vehicle, an easy to reach seat belt to help reduce turning or trunk rotation to reach the seat belt, and a gas cap wrench to help with the removal and tightening of the cap.
Megan Lucas, a University of Pittsburgh graduate student in the occupational therapy, program, said driving is a major aspect of an active lifestyle and the goal is to keep older adults safe on the road.
Another Pitt graduate student in occupational therapy, Carolyn Mayer, said families of older adults wonder if their family member is safe driving.
CarFit gives older adults a chance to build their independence, and they can participate as a way to show their families they are doing everything right to be safe on the road, she said.
