Coincidence, or needed refresher? You decide
“There are no coincidences.” I read that recently. I don’t know
who said it, but I don’t think he knew what he was talking about.
What would you call it when I get a notice from the DMV, telling me
that my California Driver’s License was to expire shortly and
suggesting that I make an appointment to take written and vision
tests -- and in the same mail receive a notice from my insurance
carrier, advising that it was time to renew my Mature Driver
Certificate?
The Mature Driver Certificate, good for three years, allows the
carrier to offer a reduced automobile insurance premium. You qualify
for it by attending an eight-hour class given by AAA. I have attended
before and know that the experience, although tiring, is pleasant.
Instruction is provided through the use of professionally prepared
videos, with a leader to guide discussion and answer questions.
Naturally, I headed for the local AAA office to make arrangements
for my wife and I to attend a class. After a rigmarole that it would
take a complete column to describe (and which would have discouraged
a less determined man), I managed to secure the help of an efficient
supervisor, who cut through the confusion and got us enrolled in a
class from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. the following day in Arcadia.
The following morning found us sitting in comfortable chairs in a
bright, airy room with 20 men and women of our vintage. This class
is not like the ones you must attend when you have received a
citation for violating some driving law; it’s a class for people who
are good drivers -- no citations -- who want to continue to drive
safely.
At the start of the class, we were presented with new student
manuals, a current California Driver’s License manual and a dozen
pamphlets that presented some really fine information regarding road
rage, freeway call boxes, road signs, safety tips, etc. We probably
had our $21 worth in this collection of information we were to take
with us at the end of the day.
The sessions moved along pretty quickly. Most of the videos
described the new California driving laws and presented useful
strategies for developing good visual habits, communicating our
intentions to other drivers and avoiding collisions. We then saw
presentations on keeping a margin of safety, adjusting speed,
handling driving emergencies and preventive maintenance. They dealt
with drinking, prescription medications, emotional upset and
exhaustion, and their effect on driving abilities. They even gave a
special video on ABS brakes and how they differ from the braking
systems that many of us grew up with. It was a worthwhile
presentation.
But I have to tell you that there is always someone in a class
like this that you would like to throw out the window, and we had a
doozy. He came in armed with the full 2 to 3-inch-thick California
Vehicle Code under his arm. He was going to save us from all of our
misconceptions and arm us with information to win our arguments with
arresting traffic officers. Many of the people in this class had
never had a citation and those who had ... well, it had been a long
time since, or they could not qualify for the discounted insurance
rate.
But our hero was not to be deterred by that. He “what if’d” after
every subject and tried to apply general information to very specific
scenarios that he presented. By lunch time, we were conspiring to do
away with him in some unpleasant manner, but once we had refreshed
ourselves, we returned with smiles and restored patience for more
training.
Finally, one of the women sitting near him told him to “can it or
we’ll never get out of here” and the class leader and several others
told him that these videos were never designed to handle every
situation he could dream up. One lovely creature put it as succinctly
as you could want: “Shut up and listen.” It worked. We didn’t hear
any more from him.
We finished our class and received our certificates, which we
forwarded to our insurance carrier. It had been a good experience.
Although the people who prepared the videos are pretty tactful about
the way they present their message, we realize that much of the
material is designed to present methods of compensating for the
slower reaction time that many “mature” drivers experience. It’s good
to face that situation and be prepared for it; however, I do believe
that drivers of all ages can benefit from such information, and I
believe I would take this class periodically even if I weren’t
rewarded by my insurance carrier for my attendance.
If you are “over the hill” or close to it, you might want to check
with your insurance carrier and AAA to see whether you might be
rewarded for your attendance with discounted automobile insurance
rates.
* JERRY LANE is a resident of La Crescenta and a regular
contributor to the Community Forum. He can be reached via e-mail at
jerry5733@aol.com.