[May 19, 2013] A drive for senior safety Tweet APPLE VALLEY, May 19, 2013 (Daily Press - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Rachel Woods has been driving for more than 50 years. She got her driver's license in Victorville -- back when it was a drastically different place. "I remember the first stoplight in Hesperia," Woods said. "Back then there were a lot of dirt roads and not a lot of stop signs." Woods was among the seniors who gathered at the Desert Valley Senior Wellness Center in Apple Valley last week for the Age Well, Drive Smart program presented by the California Highway Patrol. "I am so glad I came," said Woods, who lives in Apple Valley. "It was well worth my time." CHP Officer Matt Hunt, along with senior volunteers Carole Hoppy and Tim Murphy, taught the two-hour senior driving safety class, which was open to the public. "We are always looking for different education programs to provide our seniors with information," said Tiffany Ollis, community liaison for Desert Valley Hospital. Topics included vision and hearing changes that occur with age, keeping physical fitness up, eating right and getting enough rest. The course also touched on the effects that medications may have on safe driving. "We (seniors) take between four and five medications," Hoppy said. "You need to read the side effects." Woods said she was thankful for the tips about the amount of distance to give the car in front of her -- because reaction times generally become slower with age, and vision tends to decrease as well. "As we age our peripheral vision changes and we need to adjust the way we drive," Woods said. The Age Well, Drive Smart program was implemented statewide by the CHP in 2011 and was designed to provide the state's 2.9 million older drivers with the tools to drive safer and longer. "I think this class will help me be a better driver," said Alicia Alford of Apple Valley. Rebecca Howes can be reached at [email protected] or at 760-951-6276. ___ (c)2013 the Daily Press (Victorville, Calif.) Visit the Daily Press (Victorville, Calif.) at www.vvdailypress.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]