Gov. Heineman Launches GrandDriver Awareness
Program in Nebraska

(Lincoln, NE) Gov. Dave Heineman was joined today by the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), the Nebraska State Patrol, and the Nebraska Chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) in launching an educational program designed to raise awareness to help people drive safely as they age.

“Here in Nebraska, all of us want to ensure that our parents and grandparents will be able to share their wealth of knowledge and experience,” Gov. Heineman said. “We want our friends and neighbors to be safe. This program aims to help our loved ones stay on the road as long as they want and to do so as safely as possible.”

A nationally recognized program, the GrandDriver curriculum provides facts about mature drivers, offers tips on physical and cognitive changes, and provides suggestions on how to initiate conversations with family members on the process of aging and safe driving.

Connie Benjamin, AARP Nebraska State Director said, “Cars are essential in many communities because there are few or no alternative forms of transportation. However, we know that some physical and other changes associated with aging can affect a person’s ability to drive safely. For these reasons, safe driving is the major transportation issue most older-Nebraskans face.”

The GrandDriver program, which had its first statewide roll-out in Virginia, was designed to encourage the public, particularly drivers over age 65 and their adult children, to learn more about the effects of aging on the ability to drive. Efforts include educational materials, billboards, public service announcements, brochures, and an informational Web site. Nebraska is the second state to employ the safety program.

Nebraska DMV Director Beverly Neth said, “In Nebraska there are currently 97 drivers with a valid Nebraska license who are over the age of 100. There are more than 6,500 drivers ages 90 to 99. Through the GrandDriver program, we hope to help our mature drivers recognize age-related changes and adjust their driving habits in order to remain safe.”

Drivers age 65 and older actually have the lowest per capita crash rate, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. However, the number of crashes that occur per mile driven increases after age 65, as does the fatality rate per capita and per mile.

While being older does not equate to being dangerous, it may increase the risk for injury in an accident, particularly as people advance in age. Data shows that the elderly rarely take more risks when they drive, but they are at greater risk of injury in crashes because they are less physically resilient than younger drivers. Drivers age 85 and older have the highest fatality rate per capita among all drivers.

Col. Tom Nesbitt, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol said, “Mature drivers are some of our safest drivers. The GrandDriver program is just another way for all of us to be more aware of the affects of aging in order to drive to the best of our ability.”

More information about the GrandDriver program is available online at http://www.dmv.state.ne.us or by calling the Nebraska DMV at (402) 471-3900.

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