a ee Pe RE RRs The is

“SNR Use UM, 31 A Ge,
SS St eo ee ee ee ee oh te
eek May 9; 1990. Page Mi5

TOP STORY

Continued from Page 14
agand decisions imposed upon today’s mature motorists dictate
the circumstances of our own driving.

Weill no longer be shaking fists and threatening to put sugar
into the gas tanks of cars owned by elderly motorists — we'll be
struggling to cope with traffic patterns that have drastically
changed since we first sat in the driver’s seat. We'll be
struggling to adapt our aging bodies to the task of driving, and
then, perhaps, struggling to accept that it’s time to turn in our
keys.

Indeed, such struggles are common today. To avoid them,
some motorists participate in programs like 55 Alive, a two-day
course taught by, and designed for, drivers who are at least. 55
years old. Managed by Vancouver’s Safety Council, 55 Alive —a
national program of the Canada Safety Council — is intended
to help B.C. drivers refine, and judge, their skills.

Motorists who don’t want to wait for 55 Alive to hold a session
in the Greater Victoria area can join the programs which are
@ now commonplace but were inconceivable when the first Model

gi bumped its way from point A to point B. Arthur Harris,
center director at Victoria’s Young Drivers of Canada, estimates
that 15 per cent of older drivers “fine tune” their driving skills

OPEN HOUSE

Saturday

MAY 12, 11am-5pm
METCHOSIN

Country Crafters
Featuring Spring Releases by
Local Artists
- SUE COLEMAN
¢ MORGAN WARREN

gL? WD
wre

Vi
cruises/i/ipcenters

YOUR CRUISE VACATION SPECIALISTS
after all.. that’s ALL we do

CALL US FOR OUR SPECIAL FARES

AND UPGRADE PROGRAMS

1420 QUADRA ST
(at Pandora) FREE PARKING

381-7447

with Young Drivers. A former examiner with
the Motor Vehicle Department, he suggests
that the future will see greater numbers of
Mature drivers searching out driver educa-
tion programs.

“Many of these people don’t have anything
but a licence. They may have lost a spouse,
they no longer have work — they hold onto
that license as their very last thing,” he
explains.“It’s an emotional issue. They want
to be ready to drive in the ’90s, but they've
been driving in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s.”

When an examiner determines that a mo-
torist must quit driving, it is usually because
a routine examination has indicated a lack of
driving skill or a medical problem which could
affect driving skill. Tests are mandatory every
five years from the time a motorist turns 70
and every two years after the 80th birthday.
Sometimes, according to Worth, police recom-
mend re-examination because the motorist’s
family is concerned or, more frequently, be-
cause a member of the public complains.
Every complaint is promptly investigated, he
says, and his department recommends ap-

®

THE

“Supporting the

performing arts _ = Ls
of = oe

Greater Victoria 37" ——

Operated by
the Arbutus Society
for Children

PHOENIX Sanne” THEATRE

SUMMER THEATRE AT ITS BEST!

TER

ESCAPE TO NEVER LAND—A FANTASTICAL ADVENTURE

The classic stage play, Peter Pan, is the delightful story of the boy Peter,
who lives in a Land where children Never grow old. Peter Pan plays
indoors at the Phoenix or outdoors in the garden of the Faculty Club,
combined with a tropical barbecue.

MAY 23—JUNE 6
JULY 4—AUGUST 1%

(childrens prices for matinees)

proximately six re-examinations each month.
Usually, the reviews involve people in their
late ‘60s to 90s. But he is quick to relate the
numbers of examinations ordered (they are
ordered by the Superintendent of Motor Vehi-
cles) to the numbers of elderly people driving
in the Victoria area.

“Anybody who’s lived here for any length of
any time recognizes that we have quite a few
older drivers. But not many of them come to
our attention,” he emphasizes.

Attributing the stereotyped perception of
the mature driver to impatience rather than
to realistic assessment of driving traits,
Worth has advice for people annoyed by
low-gear grannies.

“Slow down for a minute,”he says. “These
days, everybody’s in a hurry to get some
place.”

Today's older driver who used to curse every
old timer who dared to drive a public road can
probably assure you: Don’t worry, take it easy
— you'll get there. And you may even live long
enough to be a grey-haired person behind the
wheel driving in the slow lane.

ven PARR

BOX OFFICE
721-8000

Plan now to attend

May 12 and 13
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Group Rates Available

For more information call:

Victoria’s Annual
Garden Tour

ae

Tickets: $15 — 2 day pass (or $12

Victoria Conservatory of Music 386-5311

5 5 ) se a fe
Victoria Conservatory of Music -.. oh
&,

US)

Nig
~

of pla Tg
Ta indice
aN UG