AAA Chicago Releases 'Roadwise' Tool to Help Seniors Assess Driving Ability

AURORA, Ill., Jan. 14, 2005 -- AAA Chicago today announced the local availability of AAA's newly-released senior driver assessment tool: "Roadwise Review: A Tool to Help Seniors Drive Safely Longer."

"This is a groundbreaking assessment tool for older drivers," says Steve JN Bernth, AAA Chicago President and COO. "Driving fitness can be a very sensitive issue for millions of seniors and their families. And now because of the efforts of AAA, for the first time ever, a person can gauge his or her aptitude to drive safely in the privacy of one's own home."

Just as one would screen for high cholesterol or high blood pressure, "Roadwise" is a scientifically validated tool designed to help seniors screen for their driving health. The module does this by measuring the eight physical and mental abilities shown to be the strongest predictors of crash risk among older drivers as validated in research sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Institute on Aging. The screening then provides feedback to guide the user's decisions about his or her aptitude for continued driving.

AAA worked closely with scientists at TransAnalytics, a leading transportation safety research organization, to create a tool that is both state-of-the-art and user-friendly. The effort was launched in part because people over 65 are the fastest-growing population in the United States. By 2020 there will be more than 40 million licensed drivers ages 65 and older. Moreover, statistics show that seniors have the highest crash death rate per mile of everyone except teenagers.

Visit your nearest AAA Chicago retail branch to obtain your copy of "Roadwise," which is currently available at the nominal cost of $3 for AAA Members and $5 for Non-members. To locate the AAA retail branch nearest you, please contact AAA Chicago at 1-866 YOUR-AAA (1-866-968-7222) or you can visit us on the Web at http://aaa.com/ .

For more than 100 years, AAA has represented the interests of the nation's motorists and served as an advocate for various traffic safety and travel related issues. AAA Chicago has served that role in Illinois since its founding in 1906.

AAA Chicago offers automotive, travel, insurance and financial services. It is part of The Auto Club Group (ACG), the largest affiliation of AAA clubs in the Midwest, with 4.1 million members in eight states. ACG clubs belong to the national AAA federation, a not-for-profit organization, with more than 45 million members in the United States and Canada.