Sundre seniors participated in a course last week to brush up on their driving skills.
The AMA mature drivers course was provided at a discounted rate through Greenwood Neighbourhood Place (GNP), as part of the Sundre seniors' connection project.
The turnout was so high that GNP officials have decided to host it for a second time.
The course would normally cost $55 per person but was provided to seniors for a subsidized charge of $25, according to Angela Schmiemann, senior event coordinator at GNP.
“We had extra funding and we chose to help pay for their programming,” said Schmiemann.
“It's really good to see some proactive seniors concerned about their driving skills,” she said.
“We are a rural area and we don't have access to a lot of the courses and stuff that cities have on a daily basis.”
The two-day course was held for seniors ages 55 and over. It ran at the Sundre Community Centre on Thursday and Friday.
“Also it is quite a bit different driving in a rural setting than it is in the city. So they need to know both sets of driving skills – how to drive in rural areas and also when they go into the city for different things,” said Schmiemann.
Cathy Mantika, senior driving instructor with AMA, instructed the course in Sundre and said it helps seniors keep up to date with their driving.
“We talk about updating the rules of the road and staying current on driving procedures,” said Mantika.
“It's an excellent course for people to take so they stay current and updated, because many people who have been driving for a long time don't know the simple rules of the road, like school zones and playground times,” she said.
“This helps them continue driving for as long and as safely as possible.”
