Courses help seniors stay safe on the road

Her husband has dementia.

He has been known to walk away on his own and get lost.

But he still has a driver’s license.

Gail Strohschein knows very well what it’s like to have someone in the house who clings to their driver’s license as if it’s their last symbol of freedom. And for many seniors, a driver’s license is just that: a something that gives them freedom. In the Flathead Valley, with little public transportation available, seniors often need to make their own transportation choices. But there comes a point when someone just shouldn’t be on the road. That’s a difficult choice, and it’s one that is not required by state law for someone over a certain age to give up their driver’s license.

Strohschein teaches “Smart Driver” classes in Bigfork and around the Flathead Valley educating senior drivers. She said her husband is a prime example of someone who still wants to drive.

Others should at least get a refresher course on their skills. And not just seniors. The course benefits drivers of all ages.

“People received their driver’s license 40 to 60 years ago and have never had a refresher course,” Steve Shapero, district coordinator for AARP, said. “Our classes give them confidence, but also the skills to help them avoid getting in trouble on the road.”

Drivers 55 and older receive a reduction on their auto insurance rates just by taking the classes. But people should take the class not just for the discount on insurance, Shapero said.

“We don’t want to get people off the road,” he said. “We want to make them better drivers.”

Classes are offered quarterly at the Bigfork Community Center and monthly in Kalispell.

There is no driver test, no vision test or other testing. “It is a fun class,” Strohschein said. “There’s no test or anything like that. I really like the class and I make it really fun.”

Strohschein, the 2014 Montana volunteer of the year for her work as a driver teacher, said the courses do raise awareness of the ability to drive as people age.

She tells classes about when her 92-year old mother bought a new Escalade and wanted to drive it to Seattle. She asks her classes, “who would be the best driver?” The 92-year old, her son, or herself. Most people say her son. Meanwhile, she’s at the age of most people in the class. “People don’t want to face when it’s time to stop driving,” Shapero said.   

 The four-hour course helps people learn skills they might not have been taught when they received their driver’s license. “We’ve changed, the cars have changed and the roads have changed,” Shapero said. “We give them the tools to avoid accidents.”

For information on the Safe Driver courses, call 837-4157 or 751-4500.