New Investment for our ‘Older and Wiser Road Users’ Project

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For everyone that works in transport, safety always comes first. At the Community Transport Association we run comprehensive ‘Safe and Legal’ training for community transport operators, and recently our team in Northern Ireland has secured investment from the Department of the Environment to deliver a project for older drivers in the Lisburn area of Northern Ireland.

The ‘Older and Wiser Road Users’ project works with older people (aged 60+) to reduce crashes and fatalities, both for drivers and pedestrians on rural and urban roads by delivering a comprehensive training package on Alcohol and Drug Awareness, Hazard Identification and a Highway Code Reminder.

The scheme, which has been run a number of times over the last few months, also includes a series of driving assessments where we measure the confidence levels of participants to understand how older drivers feel on the road and how we can best support them.

Another aspect of the scheme is to work with older drivers if they feel that, as a result of their driving assessment, they no longer feel comfortable behind the wheel. The Community Transport Association will provide them with training and advice to ensure that they’re able to access inclusive and accessible transport: either public transport or services offered by local community transport operators. We want to make sure that whether older people choose to drive or not, they still have access to everything that their community has to offer.

The course has been very well received so far. According to one participant “this course has challenged me to become a better, more aware driver whilst enhancing my confidence in driving by reinforcing what I do very well.”

If you live in Northern Ireland and are interested in the training, or know anyone who would be, feel free to get in touch with me, Jacqueline Ritchie, on 02890941661 or at jacqueline@ctauk.org