Daytona State OTA students to help mature drivers find ‘perfect fit’

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 19, 2016) – Students in the Occupational Therapy Assistant program at Daytona State College will put their training into practice by participating in the March 23 CarFit®  event – a unique program that offers older adults the opportunity to check how their personal cars “fit” them.

Created in 2005 by the American Society on Aging and developed in collaboration with AAA (American Automobile Association), AARP and the American Occupational Therapy Association, the CarFit® check takes approximately 20 minutes to complete and is designed to help older drivers find out how well they currently fit their personal vehicle. The program identifies actions drivers can take to improve their fit, and to promote conversations about driver safety and community mobility.

WHAT: CarFit®
WHEN: Wednesday, March 23, from 8.30 to 11:30 a.m.
WHERE: Florida Lutheran Retirement Center-Good Samaritan Society, 450 N. McDonald Ave., DeLand FL 32724

"Students will lead older drivers through a 12-point checklist with their vehicle,” said OTA Academic Clinical Coordinator Shirish Lala. “It’s a great opportunity for our students to work in the community, and each assessment concludes with recommendations for car adjustments and adaptations that could make the individual’s cars “fit” better or enhance their safety.”

According to the CarFit® website – www.car-fit.org – older drivers are often the safest drivers in that they are more likely to wear their seatbelts and less likely to speed or drink and drive. However, older drivers are more likely to be killed or seriously injured when a crash occurs due to the greater fragility of their aging bodies. Driver safety programs improve adult driver safety by addressing cognitive abilities and skills; however, older drivers can also improve their safety by ensuring their cars are properly adjusted for them. A proper fit in one's car can greatly increase not only the driver's safety but also the safety of others.

To register for the March 23 CarFit® event visit www.car-fit.org/carfit/ViewEvent/5139/ or for additional information, call (386) 506-3850.

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