LIHU‘E — There was no shortage of motorists looking for a safe fit in their car Saturday when Kaua‘i hosted its first ever Car Fit event at Kaua‘i Veterans Center parking lot. “Marga Goosen, the Kaua‘i site coordinator, was worried
LIHU‘E — There was no shortage of motorists looking for a safe fit in their car Saturday when Kaua‘i hosted its first ever Car Fit event at Kaua‘i Veterans Center parking lot.
“Marga Goosen, the Kaua‘i site coordinator, was worried because there were no appointments,” said Steve Kline, an occupational therapist at Kaua‘i Veterans Memorial Hospital. “But I told her, ‘Kaua‘i people will come,’ and they’re here, even before the starting time.”
Cars overflowed the entrance to the Kaua‘i Veterans Center as motorists arrived for the check of the fit of their cars to themselves, and Pamela Anderson, of the American Occupational Therapy Association of Hawai‘i, advising volunteers to never turn people away.
Car Fit is a new safety program designed for senior motorists to check how well a driver and their personal vehicle work together, states a Car Fit release.
Developed through collaboration between the American Society on Aging, AAA, AARP and the AOTA, Car Fit is the first program to offer adults 55-and-older the opportunity to check how their personal vehicles fit them.
“This is an educational program,” said Anderson, who along with Chelsie Agena, came to Kaua‘i from Honolulu to help set up the program. “This program teaches drivers how to be safe in their cars.”
Working through three major stations, the 20-minute program had volunteers working in teams using a 12-point checklist which covers items such as the safety belt, steering wheel tilt and head restraint device, distance between chest and steering wheel and airbag, line of sight above the steering wheel, positioning to gas pedal and brake pedal, mirror usage for both inside and exterior mirrors, neck mobility, parking brake, ignition and vehicle controls including turn signals, headlamps, emergency flashers and turning the steering wheel.
Occupational therapists work with the Car Fit teams on how to maintain and strengthen the drivers’ driving health, the trained professionals keeping an eye on the condition of the drivers’ cars for indications which will point out areas where therapists can use as starting points.
“Anytime there is a program which enhances motorist safety, it is good,” said Kaua‘i Police Department Sgt. Jason Overmyer, of the Traffic Safety Unit. “I’ll have two other officers joining this event, too.”
Driver safety programs improve adult driver safety by addressing cognitive abilities and skills, states the Car Fit website. Older drivers can also improve their safety by ensuring their cars are properly adjusted for them. A proper fit in one’s car can greatly increase not only the driver’s safety, but also the safety of others.
Kline said he was pleased the event made it to Kaua‘i after experiencing it on Maui and O‘ahu.
“On O‘ahu, they even have a driving simulator to help motorists,” Kline said. “Although the program is aimed at older drivers, Car Fit actually works for drivers of any age.”
Visit www.car-fit.org for more information.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
