“Mission” Grandma and Grandpa Behind the Wheel in Krško, Postojna and Nova Gorica

More than one in five drivers in Slovenia is over 60 years old. These are drivers who passed their driving test 45 to 65 years ago, when road conditions were very different, and so driving is stressful for many of them. As it is necessary to train and refresh one's knowledge to maintain driving fitness, Zavarovalnica Triglav and Slovenia's national automobile association AMZS have joined forces once again this year in the Driving Refresher campaign, offering drivers aged 60 and over the opportunity to take part in a free refresher driving course with an instructor and regain their confidence behind the wheel.

In the last season of the campaign, 700 older drivers have already refreshed their driving skills with the help of a driving instructor in Ljubljana, Celje and Kranj, and 150 of them have also completed the tasks at the Safe Driving Centre's training ground. They have been introduced to changes in road infrastructure and traffic signalling, and the combination of new knowledge and extensive experience on the road has made their driving safer and, above all, less stressful.

"The participants were older drivers who are still driving regularly, but some situations on the road were already putting them under pressure. More than half of them were drivers who find it stressful just to get in the car. In a safe environment, under the watchful eye of the instructors, the participants of the refresher sessions mastered certain situations they were otherwise no longer able to handle and significantly reduced their driving stress. We are particularly pleased that the Grandma and Grandpa Behind the Wheel mission has become a real family project based on intergenerational cooperation and encouragement," said Ana Cergolj Kebler, Head of Safe Mobility Programmes at the largest Slovenian insurance company.

Register your parents!

Refresher driving courses are thus also an opportunity to switch roles, for children to take the initiative and invite their parents to take part in the campaign. In this way children and parents can together contribute to improving road safety. According to Zavarovalnica Triglav figures, people over the age of 70 are riskier drivers, while those aged between 84 and 90 are up to twice as risky - in other words, the claim frequency is twice as high among these drivers than it is among those aged 49 to 53.

"I've noticed that I am more scared of certain traffic situations now than I was in the past, especially more complex situations, such as more complex roundabouts. After successfully completing the Driving Refresher, I am now more confident behind the wheel," said Desa Muck, a well-known writer and actress, after completing the Driving Refresher with an instructor.

Slovenia's largest insurance company will select 400 drivers from among the applicants to take part in a refresher driving course in three Slovenian towns:

• Krško
• Nova Gorica
• Postojna.

"What's important is that the participants will be driving their own cars. This will also be an opportunity for them to ask the instructor about the best way to use their car's features and settings in order to drive more safely," Ana Cergolj Kebler explained.

Registrations will remain open until 30 July 2023.

Every Driving Refresher participant will receive:

• One refresher driving lesson (in one of three locations) in their own car with an experienced AMZS driving instructor. The instructor will observe their driving and discuss it with them at the end of the lesson.
• In addition, 200 drivers will take part in a safe driving session at the AMZS Safe Driving Centre in Vransko tailored to older drivers, which will take place in small groups in the autumn. Drivers will work with the same instructor they had their refresher lesson with. In this way they will be able to supplement their newly refreshed driving skills.
  

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