Keep Driver Safety Programs Intact in Final State Budget

Statement Luci de Haan Acting State Director

NEW YORK, March 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement by Luci de Haan, Acting State Director of AARP New York:

A proposal being floated as part of the ongoing state budget negotiations would at least triple, if not quadruple, the cost of taking a driver safety course in New York and drastically compromise the way all New Yorkers, particularly those over age 50, take responsibility for their driver safety.

Currently, all New York drivers are eligible to take driver safety courses offered by more than a dozen sponsoring/provider organizations under the NY Point and Insurance Reduction Program or PIRP. The vast majority of these courses take place in a classroom setting over the course of six to eight hours. Online driver safety courses are available to drivers as well, although not for an insurance discount or point reduction.

The new proposal would eliminate all New York driver safety classroom courses and establish only one Internet-based driver safety course administered solely through the Department of Motor Vehicles. The cost for this new course - administered by one sole company with a monopoly-like grip - would be $75, compared with the current nominal fee of $10-20 that drivers now pay.

Currently, 45 percent of New Yorkers who take the AARP Driver Safety Course are between ages 65 and 80. The current proposal to restrict driver safety courses to an online program only and drastically raise its price penalizes drivers who want to refresh their driving skills but may not have access to the Internet, lack sufficient computer skills, or who are cost conscious.

More than two million New Yorkers age 50+ have taken AARP's Driver Safety Program since its inception in 1979. The driver safety programs under the Point and Insurance Reduction Program are long-standing successful models for keeping our roads safe. Eighty-three percent of program graduates report that the course helped them prevent being involved in a traffic accident.

The State Legislature passed a law two years ago allowing New York DMV to establish online driver safety courses through the existing Driver Safety Program providers in the state. This law should be given the opportunity to be implemented. AARP urges lawmakers to retain the existing network of Driver Safety Programs, and to reject all changes being proposed in the state budget.

AARP has over 2.6 million members in New York State. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, our monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, our bimonthly magazine in Spanish and English; NRTA Live & Learn, our quarterly newsletter for 50+ educators; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.