Keeping Oregonians Safe Behind the Wheel

Oregon has been striving to make its roadways safer through better street engineering, stronger enforcement of traffic laws and enhanced driver education.

But those measures and advances in auto technology haven’t stopped traffic deaths from increasing. In 2022, fatalities hit 603 — a 33-year-high, according to data from the Oregon Department of Transportation.

“It all boils down to driving behavior, which is the one thing that ODOT cannot control,” says Mindy McCartt, a public information officer with the department’s Transportation Safety Office.

AARP is aiming to reduce such deaths. From driver safety programs, to online automotive technology workshops, to advocacy efforts to make roadways safer, AARP is seeking to help older adults stay safe behind the wheel.

“Some of the driving strategies and techniques, rules, laws, roads, vehicles — they’ve changed over 60 years,” says Craig Bussey, state coordinator and chief trainer for AARP driver safety programs in Oregon. “And some of the behaviors that you were taught way back when, if you use them today, they’re downright dangerous.”

He says odds are older drivers — the average age of people in AARP’s classes is 72 — probably haven’t taken a driving test since they first received a license.

The aim of AARP driver safety programs is to maintain both safety and independence, even as drivers and the roads themselves continually change.

“We didn’t have bike boxes when we were learning to drive,” Bussey says. “We didn’t have reversible lanes.... We didn’t have traffic-calming devices.”

Driver behavior can be influenced by anything from distraction and impairment to road conditions and lack of knowledge about local traffic laws. In addition to changes in their vision or reaction times, drivers may find that their skills are affected by medication side effects, as well as by their failure to adapt to changes in driving rules and road engineering.

The AARP Smart Driver course focuses on both the physical changes in the participants and the structural changes in the environment around them. The idea is to keep older drivers feeling comfortable as they continue to navigate traffic.

And if that is no longer appealing or safe, the course also delves into the hows, whys and whens of alternatives to driving, such as public transportation or ride-sharing services.

“Driver safety really isn’t only about learning how to drive better,” Bussey says. “What the driver safety program is about is how seniors can remain mobile and independent as they age.”

Many participants in AARP’s classes are there for the auto-insurance discount it might give them. But then they end up learning valuable information.

That was the case with Steve Boyles, who signed up for the in-person course to renew an insurance discount. He later became an instructor.

“The information that was presented about the technology in the cars and about the changing rules and laws out there was absolutely surprising to me,” says Boyles, 67, who lives southwest of Portland in Newberg.

There are other motivations for taking the class as well. In the past year, for example, driver safety volunteer instructor Mary Griffin says she’s seen a growing number of participants attending her class in fulfillment of court orders after receiving a traffic ticket. Some participants were unfamiliar with Oregon laws because they had moved from another state, while others never took driver education classes when they initially learned to drive.

Bussey and McCartt also advise older drivers to evaluate their driving ability and make adjustments if needed.

“If you notice that you’re having issues driving at night, choose to drive during the daylight,” McCartt says. “If you notice that your reaction times are lessening, try to use secondary roads that are at a lower speed limit. Drive when there’s less traffic. So it’s all of those things we put back on knowing yourself.”

Julie Rasicot, a writer and editor in Montgomery County, Maryland, writes regularly for the Bulletin.

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