55-Alive course to be offered Saturday
Published 1:28 am Wednesday, March 12, 2003
By Staff
From Staff
Press Reports
The Escambia County Sheriff's Department and the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program have joined forces with the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) to offer a 55 Alive Mature Driving Course to local citizens.
The course will be held Saturday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Atmore Satellite Courthouse, located at 8600 Hwy. 31.
AARP and the National Sheriff's Association developed the eight-hour classroom refresher course to help drivers 50 years of age or older improve their driving skills and prevent traffic accidents.
"The 55-Alive Driving Program can sharpen driving skills, prevent accidents, and keep older drives on the road longer and more safely," said Escambia County Sheriff Grover Smith.
As an added benefit, completion of the course can help many older drivers save money on their automobile insurance premiums. In many cases, major insurance carriers generally offer discounts to graduates of the 55 Alive Course.
There is no actual driving for the students to perform and no road test. The course instead focuses on age related physical changes, declining perception skills, rules of the road, local driving problems and a review of licenses renewal requirements.
Jerry Caylor is the volunteer instructor for the course and volunteer instructors are recruited and trained by AARP.
The cost of the course is $10 for materials and supplies and the class is limited to 20 students. Applications can be picked up at the Atmore Satellite Courthouse or Brewton Courthouse Annex Room 404. For more information, call (251) 368-8626 or (251) 867-0256.