(a) The director shall establish standards and develop criteria for the approval of initial and renewal driver improvement courses specifically designed for the safe driving needs of drivers who are 55 years of age or older, which shall be known as mature driver improvement courses.
(b) The curricula for the courses provided for in subdivision (a) shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following components:
(1) How impairment of visual and audio perception affects driving performance and how to compensate for that impairment.
(2) The effects of fatigue, medications, and alcohol on driving performance, when experienced alone or in combination, and precautionary measures to prevent or offset ill effects.
(3) Updates on rules of the road and equipment, including, but not limited to, safety belts and safe and efficient driving techniques under present day road and traffic conditions.
(4) How to plan travel time and select routes for safety and efficiency.
(5) How to make crucial decisions in dangerous, hazardous, and unforeseen situations.
(c) The initial mature driver improvement course shall include not less than 400 minutes of instruction, and shall not exceed 25 students per single day of instruction or 30 students per two days of instruction.
(d) Upon satisfactory completion of an initial mature driver improvement course, participants shall receive and retain a certificate provided by the department, awarded and distributed by the course provider, which shall be suitable evidence of satisfactory course completion, and eligibility for three years, from the date of completion, for the mature driver vehicle liability insurance premium reduction pursuant to Section 11628.3 of the Insurance Code.
(e) (1) The certificate may be renewed by successfully completing a subsequent renewal mature driver improvement course within one year of the expiration of the certificate, or if more than one year has elapsed since the expiration, a mature driver improvement course in accordance with the standards established in subdivision (c).
(2) The renewal mature driver improvement course shall include not less than 240 minutes of instruction.
(f) For the purposes of this section, and Sections 1676 and 1677, “course provider” means any person offering a mature driver improvement course approved by the department pursuant to subdivision (a).
(Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 129, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2007.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018