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Christina Sullivan teaches other people about safe driving, including information for mature drivers.
				It&rsquo;s a subject area she knows well.
				&ldquo;The mature driving presentations I do at the senior centers are my best programs,&rdquo; said Sullivan, 62. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re me.&rdquo;
				The Scranton resident is one of 17 PennDOT-funded highway safety coordinators across the state, whose education focus areas also include educating the public on bike safety, teen driving, distracted driving and supporting local police with impaired driving campaigns.
				When it comes to mature driving, Sullivan can speak to her audiences from increasing experience, although though she is still on the younger end of the spectrum.
				&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been affected,&rdquo; Sullivan said in an interview last week.
				&ldquo;I think the biggest changes are a fear of the highway, and my vision is much different,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;And a lot of people struggle with nighttime driving. If I really don&rsquo;t have to drive at night, I won&rsquo;t.&rdquo;
				These issues are especially relevant in Pennsylvania, which ranks fourth among all states for residents age 65 and older, a PennDOT senior driving presentation points out. Pennsylvania&rsquo;s rapidly growing older population includes more than 3 million people age 60 and over, according to the state Department of Aging. In a state with about 12.8 million people, that&rsquo;s nearly a quarter of the population.
				And about 2 million of them drive: The number of <a href="https://www.penndot.gov/TravelInPA/Safety/TrafficSafetyAndDriverTopics/Pages/Older-Driver.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">older drivers</a> in Pennsylvania increased from 1.58 million in 2009 to 2.11 million last year, PennDot statistics show.
				Normally, Sullivan and her counterparts across Pennsylvania &mdash; including Rebecca Rybak, education coordinator of the Northeast Highway Safety Program in Luzerne County &mdash; are busy throughout the year taking their message to senior centers and other community groups throughout the region.
				This year, COVID-19 shutdowns have mostly prevented them from doing that, so they&rsquo;re looking to get the word out through as many channels as possible, including local media. With Older Driver Safety Awareness Week observed in December &mdash; and the onset of wintry weather &mdash; their organizations, together with PennDOT, are particularly focused on mature driver education this month.
				As Sullivan pointed out, the dangers to older drivers are not just on the road, but in the very act of getting into and out of their vehicles, when slips and falls pose risks.
				The senior driving issue that she, Rybak and their colleagues discuss also include a wide range of topics that might not immediately seem obvious, such as car seat safety.
				&ldquo;A lot of people take care of their grandkids,&rdquo; Rybak pointed out, hence the need for that discussion.
				&lsquo;A Catch-22&rsquo;
				Rybak has been in her role for 15 years. Her program, which formerly was coordinated through Catholic Social Services, now is run through the Luzerne County District Attorney&rsquo;s office and funded through a PennDOT grant.
				Her coverage area is Luzerne, Wayne, Wyoming and Susquehanna counties; Scranton-based Sullivan, meanwhile, works for Lackawanna County and covers her home county as well as Pike County.
				Rybak said mature motorists can be among the best on the roads, but that&rsquo;s only part of the story.
				&ldquo;The issue with older drivers is a Catch-22,&rdquo; she said.
				&ldquo;They have been driving for such a long time. We find that they are the safest drivers,&rdquo; Rybak continued. &ldquo;But the world around them and the roads around them are evolving. There&rsquo;s more traffic, more distractions.&rdquo;
				&ldquo;And because their bodies are getting older they are more at risk of dying in a crash because of the changes to their aging bodies. Peripheral vision goes. Timing is off,&rdquo; Rybak said.
				For example, changes in perception and timing can lead older drivers to turn in front of cars that they feel are farther away than they actually are.
				&ldquo;We see a lot of t-bone crashes. That&rsquo;s an issue,&rdquo; Rybak said.
				Even hearing can be an issue, as open windows and other noises around the vehicle can affect the effectiveness of hearing aids, while medications can also affect awareness and reaction time.
				Safety stats
				Statistics provided by PennDOT show that the number of crashes involving older drivers are increasing &mdash; perhaps not surprising as the state&rsquo;s population ages, but it is an increase nevertheless.
				Statewide, there were 21,884 crashes involving drivers 65 and older last year, and 281 fatalities. While the number of fatalities has generally stayed between 250 and 300 over the past 20 years, the number of crashes has fluctuated since 2000 across the state, last year&rsquo;s total was the highest in this century to date; numbers were in the 16,000-17,000 range for most years through 2011, but have steadily increased since then.
				There is a bright spot for local motorists.
				There were 572 crashes involving drivers 65 and older in Luzerne County last year, the lowest number since 2013. The past 20 years have seen crashes fluctuate between 395 and 695, with the peak back in 2000.
				There were 12 fatalities involving 65+ drivers in the county last year &mdash; up from six the previous year, though the number of deaths have largely hovered in the low double-digits over the past 20 years, ranging from four in 2005 to 17 in 2007.
				Other safety factors
				Rybak pointed to a number of other safety issues involving older drivers that may come as a surprise.
				&ldquo;We find that some still don&rsquo;t wear seat belts because they fear getting trapped if their car goes off a bridge or catches fire. These are things that they do say to say to us,&rdquo; she said.
				There are still many drivers on the road from an era when seat belts weren&rsquo;t required &mdash; or not even installed in cars, Rybak pointed out.
				Cars are also changing in many other ways, with the inclusion of more modern technology, including digital panels and controls.
				&ldquo;They don&rsquo;t know the bells and whistles of newer cars,&rdquo; Rybak said.
				Ways to adapt
				In addition to their overall education presentations and materials, the PennDOT safety coordinators assist older motorists through participation in two programs targeted to their needs: <a href="https://www.car-fit.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Carfit</a> and <a href="https://www.penndot.gov/TravelInPA/Pages/Yellow-Dot.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Yellow </a><a href="https://www.penndot.gov/TravelInPA/Pages/Yellow-Dot.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dot</a>.
				Carfit, which was developed by AAA, AARP and the American Occupational Therapy Association, helps older motorists assess how well they and their cars work together through a 12-point checklist, with recommendations for adjustments than can help make operating their vehicles safer and more comfortable. A brochure about the program is attached to this story online at timesleader.com.
				Yellow Dot, meanwhile, is a state program created to assist drivers in the &ldquo;golden hour&rdquo; of emergency care following a traffic crash when they may not be able to communicate themselves, state officials say.
				&ldquo;Placing a yellow dot in your vehicle&rsquo;s rear window alerts first responders to check your glove compartment for vital information to ensure that you receive the critical medical attention you need,&rdquo; according to an official description at www.yellowdot.pa.gov, where drivers can learn about the program and sign up.
				&ldquo;That way responders know they have to go to the glove compartment for information &mdash; it could be such issues as cochlear implants, medications, mobility, &rdquo; Sullivan said.
				There also are PennDOT-approved &ldquo;Basic and Refresher Mature Driver Improvement&rdquo; courses offered at various locations throughout the state, and drivers 55 and older are eligible to receive a 5% discount on their vehicle insurance by completing the course.
				Safety tips
				Michael Taluto of PennDOT&rsquo;s District 4 press office provided the following safety tips for senior drivers to keep in mind:
				&#8226; Have regular eye and medical exams, as near and distance vision are needed to drive safety. Aging eyes become more sensitive to bright light and glare, so limit nighttime driving and try to avoid looking directly into headlights of approaching vehicles.
				&#8226; Avoid stressful driving situations such as rush hour travel, driving at night or driving in severe weather.
				&#8226; Know your route and try to stay on familiar roads.
				&#8226; Avoid taking medications before driving. Many medications &#8211; prescription and over-the-counter &#8211; cause drowsiness and can affect safe driving.
				&#8226; Make sure your driver&rsquo;s seat and mirrors are properly adjusted prior to beginning a trip. Always fasten your seat belt.
				&#8226; Maintain a safe speed and look ahead. Controlling your speed and looking down the road for possible hazards allows you to make adjustments before encountering a problem.
				&#8226; Always keep a safe distance from the vehicle ahead of you. A 4-second gap between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you is recommended.
				&#8226; Know before you go, call ahead for weather and road conditions before traveling long distances, especially in the winter. Avoid travelling in bad weather if at all possible.
				When to stop driving?
				Rybak stressed that older people will continue to make up a significant percentage of all motorists, and that safety is the responsibility of all drivers, and that we all have to look out for one another on the roads.
				&ldquo;As a population in general, the goal for PennDOT is to keep people driving longer but safer,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;We all need to realize that even though people might be at a certain age, they are still OK with driving. They are safe drivers.&rdquo;
				Still, she and Sullivan also acknowledged that there can come a time when family members need to step in to tell a loved one it&rsquo;s time to stop driving &mdash; a decision that can be emotional for everyone involved.
				<a href="https://www.penndot.gov/TravelInPA/Safety/TrafficSafetyAndDriverTopics/Pages/Older-Driver.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">As PennDOT&rsquo;s website puts it</a>, &ldquo;there is no clear cut factor to look at in terms of stopping driving; however, PennDOT continually seeks to balance the safety of our roadways with the impact of loss of independence, autonomy, and mobility of the older driver.&rdquo;
				&ldquo;Taking the keys away: That&rsquo;s up to the person&rsquo;s family and that person&rsquo;s doctor,&rdquo; Rybak said.
				&ldquo;That&rsquo;s a very hard decision because it may be their last piece of independence,&rdquo; she added. &ldquo;But if you have an older relative and you&rsquo;re having concerns, go to their doctor and talk to them.&rdquo;
				If and when that step comes, PennDOT points out that older Pennsylvanians are eligible for the Free Transit Program for Older Persons, where available, and the Shared Ride Program.
				&ldquo;We give them all the necessary information about what is avail transportation-wise,&rdquo; Sullivan said.

Keeping mature motorists safe