Driving means freedom and independence for many people – and provides opportunities to be spontaneous, social and vital. To help drivers of all ages carefully consider their driving skills, driving choices and their car’s safety, The Hartford has developed a free guide -- You and Your Car: A Guide to Driving Wellness.
This valuable guide to driving wellness is based on more than a quarter century of original research into driving safety, including talking directly with older drivers and not just about older drivers. The guidebook provides practical information based on what The Hartford has learned and is aimed at drivers of all ages to help them:
You and Your Car provides information to help mature drivers ensure they are the best drivers possible, including an overview of self-assessment tools, driving safety classes, comprehensive driving evaluations, maintaining brain fitness and making smart driving choices.
"There has been much public attention around the question: ‘At what age should an older driver stop driving?," says Jodi Olshevski, gerontologist and assistant vice president of The Hartford Advance 50 Team. “This question often leads to an inaccurate and unproductive conversation," she added. "It's time to change the conversation and focus on the question: 'How can older adults continue to drive safely for as long as possible?' Our message is clear. You can control much of your driving future because safe driving is about your driving ability – not your age."
“Safe driving is each individual’s responsibility. All drivers must make a personal commitment to do what it takes to maintain safe driving skills,” says Joe Coughlin, Ph.D., director of the MIT AgeLab. “The healthier and more physically fit we are, and the more we understand how our health conditions affect driving, the longer we will be able to drive safely.”
You can’t drive safely without a safe car. Therefore, You and Your Car provides easy-to-understand information to help individuals make the right vehicle choices – whether it’s the car they purchase, the older car they maintain, the features they use as intended or the fit of the car for their body. These are all factors that make a big difference when it comes to the ability to be safe on the road.
The Hartford and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety believe the most important consideration for choosing a vehicle should be safety. “It’s important for drivers of all ages to check out how well vehicles do in crash tests when shopping for a new car,” says Anne McCartt, Ph.D., senior vice president of research for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. “This is particularly important for older drivers because, if in a crash, they are more likely to be injured or killed. Older drivers should check out the crashworthiness ratings of vehicles from crash tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Department of Transportation, and then shop for a car with these safety ratings in mind.”
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
This brochure from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) can help you select a safe car for you and your family.
