Reaching home comforting feeling, in baseball or road

Driving is similar to baseball: The key is to get home safely!

Please do not get turned off when you suspect today's topic is safety on the highway. I challenge you to read on. The life you save may be one dear to you.

One way to drive home safely is to take an AARP Driver Safety Class. Since the schedule of classes for the tri-county area was published in last week's column, readers have asked, "When, George, are YOU going to lead a class?"

The answer: June 5 and 6 at Roper-St. Francis Hospital, contact 402-2273; and June 11 and 12 at East Cooper Medical Center, contact 874-7031. But I emphasize there are many other qualified AARP instructors throughout the area.

Why is it important to take such a refresher driving course? In addition to becoming eligible for insurance discounts, most participants report a distinct improvement in driving performance. To illustrate, here are the course objectives:

--Understand the effects of aging on driving.

--Learn driving strategies that take into account the changes we experience as we age.

--Identify the most common crash situations we face.

--Reduce your chances of having a crash.

--Update your knowledge and understanding of today's roads, vehicles and other road users.

--Think about how you drive.

--Identify when driving may no longer be safe.

In addition, check out these statistics. For older drivers, 60 percent of car crashes occur at intersections; every year 100,000 car accidents are the direct result of driver fatigue; and distractions (including cell-phone usage) cause 25 percent of crashes.

Plus, drivers age 75 and up have much higher crash rates, almost as great as drivers 16-24 years old. Driver deaths are markedly higher after age 75, due in part to bodies being less able to recover from the forces involved in a crash.

All of these issues and more are discussed in a classroom setting. I challenge anyone to take this course and say they did not learn key points in improving driving techniques. Most participants vow to take necessary corrective actions.

One final question: Have you ever been driving and exclaimed, "Where did he come from?" If so, an AARP Driver Safety Program is for you.

There is a demand for more of these classes, but there are not enough facilities available. The AARP is looking for organizations that would sponsor classes. These groups include veterans' groups, civic clubs, senior centers, religious organizations, businesses, banks, educational sites, parks and recreation sites, physical and medical specialists, sheriff departments and YMCAs.

If you know of any organization that would be interested in sponsoring a class, please e-mail area Director John Mallon at mallona@bellsouth.net. Also, you can write me at the address below or call 937-0929.

We are ready to help with the arrangements. What a deal, and it's all voluntary, too!

George Spaulding is a retired General Motors executive and distinguished executive-in-residence emeritus at the College of Charleston. He can be reached at 2 Wharfside St. 2A Charleston SC 29401.