What: CarFit
Who: AAA Texas, occupational therapists, and traffic safety
professionals.
Where: Highland Springs Retirement Community, 8000 Frankford Rd.,
Dallas, TX
When: Tuesday, October 9, 2007, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
CarFit is an innovative national program designed to give a quick
comprehensive check on how well an older driver and their vehicle work
together. The event provides motorists with community traffic safety
resources intended to keep them driving safely longer.
"As we age, changes in our vision, flexibility, strength, range of motion
and even size and height may make us less comfortable and reduce our
control behind the wheel," said Paul Flaningan, AAA Texas spokesperson.
"CarFit provides older adults with the tools to safely navigate our
roadways and stay connected to their communities when they must limit or
stop driving."
At tomorrow's CarFit event, trained volunteers will complete a 12-point
checklist with each driver. Among the items checked: Is the person
positioned correctly in the driver's seat? Can the person reach the pedals
easily? Does the person know how to adjust mirrors properly or have the
flexibility to use the mirrors?
After visiting the trained volunteer professional, the driver will consult
with an occupational therapist who, if needed, will discuss ways drivers
can maintain and improve aspects related to their driving health. The
therapists will also provide information to participants addressing
individual needs, including information about local community resources on
exercise, nutrition and other programs to help keep them safe on the roads.
The value of the CarFit program is evidenced in the evaluation ratings
provided by the trained volunteers and participants and by follow-up
questionnaires sent to the participants 30 days after completion of the
program. In looking at evaluation ratings from the 2005 pilot CarFit
events:
-- Nearly every volunteer (98%) recommended the continuance of CarFit
events in their area and 9 out of 10 stated that they would be very likely
to volunteer for future CarFit events.
-- Almost 9 out of 10 participants (89%) said they would recommend CarFit
to friends or relatives.
-- Ninety percent of participants said that the CarFit event was useful.
-- Thirty-seven percent of CarFit participants had at least one red flag
with 19% having one red flag identified and 18% having two or more. Red
flag issues are addressed by occupational therapists or driver
rehabilitation specialists at the event and are considered high-priority
safety issues.
-- Of those participants responding to the 30-day follow-up
questionnaire:
-- 88% reported making at least one change after attending the CarFit
event.
-- Changes to the head restraint (54%), left outside mirror (42%), right
outside mirror (34%), the distance between chest and steering wheel (30%),
and the line of sight above the steering wheel (28%) were cited as the most
frequent changes by participants to improve the car/driver fit.
-- Almost 8 out of 10 (78%) of participants said that they already
discussed the CarFit event with friends or relatives.
-- Since participating in the CarFit event, nearly 60% of respondents
said that they discussed their own driving with friends, relatives, a
physician, or other health care providers.
The CarFit program was created by the San Francisco-based American Society
on Aging and developed in collaboration with AAA (American Automobile
Association), AARP and the American Occupational Therapy Association.
Contact Information: Contact: Paul Flaningan (469) 525-0864 E-mail: