Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2009

Instructor driven to improve car safety

AARP sponsors Fuquay course

Kenneth Forslund wants everyone to be safe when they climb into the driver’s seat of a car. To protect himself and others while on the road, he teaches a refresher course specifically designed for those over 50.

At the age of 55, Forslund joined the American Association of Retired Persons and contemplated what he was going to do during his retirement. Then, he got a letter from AARP, which invited him to become an instructor of the driver’s safety program.

“I was getting ready to retire, so I thought that it might be a fun thing to do,” Forslund said. “I took the course in my area, and I was very fortunate because my instructor was terrific. So I signed up to be an instructor.”

After filling out paperwork and going through an interview, Forslund spent some time training with other AARP volunteers on how to become instructors, and after a little practice, he said, “When we were ready to go solo, we went solo.”

Ten years, 125 classes, and a cross-country move later, Forslund is bringing his expertise to the Triangle area. The two-day, eight-hour course covers everything from getting to know personal driving strengths and weaknesses to knowing local road and highway rules.

“We talk about knowing some of the problems associated with the aging process and how they might affect driving, and when we talk about that we talk about what you can do to stay a safe driver. For instance, I think we can all understand that eyesight will start to go; you can visit your optometrist regularly and make sure your prescriptions stay up to date.”

Usually, one of the least fun parts of the class is when Forslund talks about retiring from driving. “It’s not everyone’s favorite, but it’s good to know,” he said.

He sometimes is able to offer other solutions. For example, “if you have trouble driving at night because your eyes don’t react a certain way, then just don’t drive at night,” he said.

“I’ve been driving for about 40 years,” said Arthur Markart of Fuquay-Varina. “It was an interesting class; you learn all sorts of little tricks and things.”

The one trick which really stood out for Markart was setting his mirrors differently. “I look into my mirrors differently now. It’s one of those things that you usually take for granted.”

Forslund’s next class will be held March 3-4 at the Fuquay-Varina Community Center. Having already taught a class in Apex, he would like to teach the course once each quarter in Fuquay-Varina, Apex and Holly Springs. But, as he says, it all depends on the sponsors.

Because AARP relies on volunteers to teach, train and supervise, they do not have regular access to buildings. Sponsors must provide building facilities and audio/visual equipment for these courses to happen. “We rely on senior centers, police departments, churches, city governments and community centers to host us,” Forslund said.

Class details
The next AARP driving class, held by Kenneth Forslund, will be held March 3-4 at the Fuquay-Varina Community Center. The class is $12 for AARP members and $14 for everyone else. For information about the class or to take a quiz to see how much you know about the rules of the road, go to aarp.org/fami lies/driver_safety.