Rainier Senior Center will welcome guest speakers from Washington State Patrol and Operation Lifesaver as the organization hosts a senior driving class.
The class takes place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24, at the Rainier Senior Center, 108 Michigan St. S., Rainier.
The class costs $15 to participate, and once completed, drivers will receive a certificate for a 5% to 10% discount on automobile insurance. The course is endorsed by the Washington Traffic Safety Education Association (WTSEA), the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) and the Department of Licensing (DOL).
“I feel it’s important because it’s another opportunity for seniors to take advantage of something to help them with their driving, but to help them with their car insurance too,” said George Johnson, senior center and We Love Rainier WA volunteer. “We want to do it for the community, and we try to do as many things as we can. This opportunity came up, and so we jumped on it.”
The wide range of covered topics in this course will include texting and driving, driving in bad weather, handling emergencies, freeway driving, stop positions, reference points, what to do in case of a collision, road rage, drowsy driving, roundabouts, new traffic signals, head checks, parking maneuvers, insurance, prescription drugs, new vehicle technology and other topics.
Participants must be 55 years in age or older to participate in the class. Lunch will also be provided.
The course instructor is Gerald Apple, who taught traffic safety education in public schools for 54 years. In 2023, Apple was named the National Traffic Safety Education Teacher of the Year by American Driver Training Safety Education Association. He currently serves as coordinating secretary of WTSEA.
“We’d like to invite people from Yelm, Tenino — wherever, to take advantage of this,” Johnson added. “It’s a great class, and it’ll go for about four to five hours.”
Apple can be reached at GeraldAppl@yahoo.com. People interested in registering for the event can do so by calling the Rainier Senior Center, 360-446-2258.
— This version corrects the date, which is Saturday, April 24.
