Older drivers and new laws and technology met Saturday in the latest Seniors for Safe Driving seminar.

Twenty three motorists over 55 met for the four-hour class at the Butler County Family YMCA, 339 N. Washington St., for a refresher course on good traffic habits, the latest traffic laws and keeping up with the latest vehicle devices.

Larry Nunamaker, driver improvement consultant, and state Trooper Jim Long, the community affairs officer for Troop D in Butler, led the class.

Nunamaker told the participants by brushing up on their driving skills and completing the four-hour seminar they would receive a certificate that would reduce their auto insurance bills by at least 5% for the next three years.

Nunamaker said as drivers age and their eyesight declines and reaction times slow, it becomes more important to improve their driving techniques.

For instance, Nunamker said, older drivers should develop the habit of checking their cars for leaking fluids and take notice of their surroundings.

“We've all encountered the shrinking garage door and had our mirrors ripped off,” Nunamaker said. “We need to do a walkaround as we grow older.

“As we get older, our depth perception and our peripheral vision starts to change,” he said. “It's important to use turn signals and have our lights on when it rains.”

Both Nunamaker and Long said it's important for senior motorists to participate in Pennsylvania's Yellow Dot Program.

The program was created to assist drivers in the event of a traffic accident when they may not be able to communicate their needs themselves.

Drivers fill out a yellow booklet with medical information, emergency contact numbers, a list of medications and allergies and a picture. The booklet is kept in the vehicle's glove compartment and a yellow sticker is placed on the vehicles rear window to alert police and emergency responder's to the pamphlet.

Long said in conducting midnight patrols in Butler County over a decade he's encountered drivers who he initially thought were under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In some cases, they were suffering a diabetic reaction.

The presence of the yellow booklet would clear confusion up quickly, Long said.

Long said older drivers also must be aware of the effects of even over-the-counter medications could have on them.

Anti-congestion medications or even drugs used to dilate pupils in eye exams can leave people feeling drunk and woozy.

“You don't think about it. They never give warnings,” said Long about the effects of some medications.

Nunamaker said older drivers must fight the habit of dropping their vision to just beyond the hood of the car. Coupled with slower reaction times in older people can combine to cause an accident.

“You have to get your vision up to give yourself more time to react,” he said.

Nunamaker also covered state laws governing snow removal from vehicles, the “steer clear” law concerning police, emergency vehicles and tow trucks and the traffic regulations regarding construction zones.

He also pointed out the best ways to transport a pet, which is not in a driver's lap or in the driver's arms.

“Pets are like one of the family. They should be harnessed in the back seat,” Nunamaker said. “If they are in the front, they could be killed by an air bag.

“If they are loose inside, in an accident, they could hamper rescue efforts or escape and be hit by traffic,” he said.