RE: Rules and Regulations on Accident Prevention Courses for Older Drivers (24 VAC 20  40)

     For 10+ years, I have been an AARP Driver Safety Program (DSP) Driver Safety or Smart Driver™ Course. I see the overriding acceptance and appreciation expressed by the older driver participants in the classes I present. Not surprisingly, two teenagers accompanied their Mothers and sat the class with everyone else.

     With a reservation, I support the 8-hr version of the Smart Driver™ Course for older Virginia drivers. My reservation is that the 8-hr version be required only once; the first time the older driver sits the current version of the DSP Course. Every three years is the current course attendance requirement to keep the automobile insurance discount continuous; without a break in the discount. At the 3-yr anniversary, the older driver knows it is time to renew the insurance discount by sitting the current AARP DSP Course. As the course content is NOT radically update frequently, the older driver will very likely be sitting the same course he/she sat 3 years ago. The biggest difference between the two sitting with be the instructor and the other participants in the class. The current Version 8, Smart Driver™, was rolled out January 2014. I believe previous DSP Course version had a run of some 10 years or so; that was before I joined the AARP DSP.

     Therefore, it for this reason that I support a shorter current version repeat of the AARP DSP Course for older drivers who, 3 years ago, had sat the identical course. My considered opinion for that a reduced course length of 4 hours for an identical course he/she has already attended is justified. The shorter course length may have no discernable impact on the older driver with regard to his/her understanding of the Virginia driving rules of the road. He/she will exhibit good driving practices for his/her safety and the safety of other roadway users and pedestrians. (I can support a reduced course length of 6 hours, also. However, not as fervently. Point being a given older driver may attend two or more reduced length Smart Driver™ Courses. Upon a new, revised version of the DSP Course would then reset the “clock.” An older Virginia driver would then attend an 8-hr class and then attend shorter length classes upon his/her 3-year anniversary.

     I appreciate this opportunity to participate during the public open comment time for the cited reference.

David W. Young, Jr, AARP Smart Driver™ Course Instructor for 10+ years, Haymarket, VA 20169

As an AARP Driver Safety Instructor, I would like to see the classes reduced from eight (8) hours to four (4) hours. Many persons taking the course are retired, however; there are many other persons who are working and/or have other responsibilities and find it difficult to attend the class for two days. Most of our instructors are elderly and would find it difficult to teach the class for eight (8) consecutive hours or for one day.

            I would like to add the following comments for consideration in the 2019 periodic review on the Rules and Regulations on Accident Prevention Courses for Older Drivers (24VAC20-10-40).

           I provide these comments with the following assumption: That the ruling party (DMV) has mandated the current requirement for Virginia residences to attend an 8-hour course every three years for people 55+ to qualify for a saving on their insurance is not based upon statistical  data with supporting documentation dealing with cognitive and or motor skills of such drivers. I stand corrected if such data does supports the reasoning for Virginia’s DMV to be one of the few states (TN,IL,KS,WA) that require people to attend an 8-hour course in-leu of the rest of the countries jurisdictions that require shorter class attendance for the same benefits.

            In correspondence with Mr. Holcomb the commissioner of DMV  “ The current regulations require the course to provide eight-hours of training and shall be divided over at least a two-day period, in order to allow time for better integration and comprehension of safety concepts."  Admittedly as a layman I do not have the research capabilities as a state sponsored organization such as the DMV but I have not found any national safety or insurance documentation  that supports the reasoning to require participants to attend repetitive 8 hour in-depth classroom instructions every 3 years. 

            I concur that an eight-hour course allows for much more interaction but if the goal for this regulation is to improve overall senior driving safety at the state level then the additional allotted time does not enhance this goal.  I personally believe that the review of Courses for Older Drivers (24VAC20-10-40) should consider the reduction of course instructions hours, whether it be an initial eight-hour course and remittal three-year courses being four or six hours in duration (which could result in an administration nightmare) or reducing the training to either four or six-hour classes would not distort the States safety concepts.

            In closing may I give you a snap shot of how the regulation is being administrated: Most of the participants have been driving for over forty-years and have sat under the tutelage  of this exact eight-hour course material two and three times, so to say they are fully engaged in the training would be an extreme overstatement. Participants and instructors take two days at four-hours per day out of their time for  this instruction and some are required to pay tolls to attend these sessions. This scenario portrays the reason that less people and instructors are interested attending or teaching this eight-hour course. 

Yours Truly,

   Garrett Nolen

AARP Safe Driver Instructor

garrett.nolen48@gmail.com

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

As currently structured, and as I understand it, the Virginia Law and/or Virginia Regulations specifically state an automobile insurance discount is available for any person who completes an authorized Safe Driver course of 8 hours of which the AARP SMART DRIVER COURSE is one.

First, please allow me to point out that I have taught the AARP 8-hour course for over seventeen years on over 50 occasions to over 1,100 senior drivers.  My classes have been located in the Richmond area and currently in Northern Virginia.  I have appreciated the opportunity to help bring senior drivers up to date and to make driving safer for seniors and those whose lives may be at stake. 

In my honest opinion, I believe that shortening the class to a more reasonable six or even four hours would make the course more appealing and more accessible to older drivers.  Many people don’t want to spend 8 hours for a course and by reducing the time it would become more appealing, attract more people to the classes, and therefore bring more people up to date.  The class could very reasonably be shortened by reducing the repetition, the time spent on the “joys” of aging, and much other minutia of which we are already aware.  The section on “Driver Retirement” is a subject that we will all need to eventually address (if we live long enough) but we don’t need to spend an hour discussing it in class.  We need to concentrate the time on the important issues that affect driving for senior citizens.  That concentration could easily be done in six hours.  I could go on and on with other suggestions. 

The bottom line is that we need to stress what's important for seniors and not just fill up 8 hours of time because of some requirement of the State of Virginia.  Reducing the class time to six (or four) hours would attract more people to the class and improve safety for all.

Sincerely,

Joseph S. Haugh

Instructor, AARP Smart Driver

21085 Cardinal Pond Terrace

Apt. 205

Ashburn, VA 20147