Community Corner
Safety Class Lets Drivers 55 and Older Save Money
Taking the class provides discounts on insurance.
Two and a half million people in Illinois can be saving money on their car insurance and Om Johari doesn’t understand why only 13,400 of them have taken advantage of a program that lets them do so.
Johari, an AARP Driver Safety Program instructor, directs an AARP program, offered at the Niles Senior Center, in Morton Grove and Skokie and elsewhere, that re-teaches older drivers the rules of the road.
“It basically teaches them what it is you can do to be safe on the road,” Johari said.
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The classes are based on a workbook and DVD that have information on defensive driving, dealing with road rage, dealing with impaired drivers, road signs, safety features in a car and much more. The class also discusses an important topic for seniors - when is it time to stop driving.
Johari, along with about 200 other volunteer instructors in Illinois, must be certified by the state of Illinois and approved by the secretary of state before he is allowed to teach the course.
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Anyone can take the class. However, Johari said anyone 55 years old and older who has not had their license revoked in the past 36 months and has been accident-free in the past year may qualify for a discount on their auto insurance. People should check with their providers to find out if they offer that type of discount, he said.
The discount is good for a period of three years after completing the safe driver course, Johari said. The class can help reduce insurance claims, reduce traffic violations and crashes and help form new, safer driving habits.
The class is eight hours long but can be taken in two four-hour sessions at the Niles Senior Center. To sign up for classes, call the Niles Senior Center or, for other locations, call AARP at 1-888-227-7669. You can also look online at www.aarp.org/drive.
The next classes at the Niles Senior Center are Sept. 6/Sept. 8 and Nov. 29/Dec. 1 from noon to 4 p.m. Attendence is required both days.
“There is a small fee, but in driver safety everybody benefits,” Johari said. “If you save a crash, you save yourself, you save your car and you save the other person.”
