Free driver refresher course for seniors

A free driver refresher seminar is being held at The Parkside Centre, located at 140 Durham Street, on Oct. 22 at 1:30 p.m.

Drive Wise is a refresher course offered by the OPP with the goal of helping seniors to preserve their right to drive. The presentation in Sudbury is being presented in partnership with the McLennan Group, Lombard Canada, and Canada's Association for the Fifty Plus (CARP).

Those interested in attending do not need to register, and admission is free.

"OPP officers are confident that seniors attending Drive Wise will leave with valuable tips and tools," said retired OPP Sgt. Bob Paterson, in a press release.

Other partners with Drive Wise are Retirement Residences Group, Ontario & Toronto Automobile Dealers Associations, the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, the Ontario Seniors Secretariat and Obus Forme.

"Drive Wise encourages all motorists to take a preventative, go-slow and common sense approach to driving. (It) gives concrete advice on how to avoid the most likely scenarios causing collisions," explained James Pasternak, Drive Wise director of logistics and communications.

Seniors are not involved in more collisions than other age group, but they are at greater risk of serious injury or death should they be in an accident.

"There is what is known as the frailty factor, which applies to older drivers. They are more likely to be killed in a collision. So when a collision is a fatality, it's more likely the fatality is a senior driver, even though it might not even be their fault," explained Leo Tasca, team leader of special projects in Ontario's Ministry of Transportation.

For more information about Drive Wise, go online to www.drivewise.ca.
For more information about the Drive Wise seminar in Sudbury, contact Gordon White at 566-5686.