A new law passed in Minnesota seeks to incentivize older drivers to take driving safety courses and gives them a 10 percent auto insurance discount.
Nationally traffic fatalities in drivers 65 and older went up by 14 percent in 2021 and continue to be on the rise. In fact, about one out of every four traffic fatalities in Minnesota is a person 65 or older. Intersections can cause an elderly driver trouble, especially when gauging the speed of traffic on the lanes they will cross.
Traffic Safety and Advocacy Director Lisa Kons says the new law cuts the length of the course in half from eight hours to just four hours in an attempt to bring up engagement from seniors.
"Minnesota's growing population of 55 plus went from one million to 1.7 million in the last few years," says Kons. "Class participation has declined over that same period and so it came to light that eight hours is a really lengthy amount of time."
She says if more people take the training it could have a big impact on roads.
"If it can just change one riding behavior, that could truly be the difference between you and a crash," Kons says.
Kons adds that she believes the decision could bring down traffic fatalities and accidents for those 55 and older.
"The last time most people have received any kind of recurrent education is typically when they receive their driver's license," she says. "So, how many years has it been between now? And I'm just going to go on and say I might be turning 55 next week. We haven't had any recurrent education. It's bringing all of those things back up to the subconscious."
The law will take effect on July 1.