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CarFit provides driver safety checkups Saturday

JANESVILLE — Yes, it's a stereotype, but we've all seen it: a tiny, elderly lady peering over the top of her steering wheel and driving very, very slowly.

She's cute, but she actually has a real problem: Her car doesn't fit.

Fortunately, there's a fix.

From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, local agencies are sponsoring "CarFit" driver safety checkups at Janesville Fire Station No. 5, 1414 Newport Ave.

The checkups are a joint effort of Mercy Health System, AARP, AAA, the American Occupational Therapy Association and the Rock County Council on Aging. The service is free, but appointments are required because space is limited.

Kris Borgerding, Mercy occupational therapist, said matching drivers and their cars involves a variety of factors, including seat and seatbelt placement, mirror adjustments and simple physical comfort.

The CarFit program runs people through a 12-point checklist that all drivers—not just the AARP set—could use. They include:

-- Keeping an appropriate distance between the driver's breastbone and the air bag. Ten inches is good; 12 inches is better. This reduces the chance of injuries.

Children placed too close to air bags have been killed by the impact. Less dramatically, air bag injuries usually range from bruises and skin abrasions to broken ribs.

-- Properly adjusted headrests to reduce the chance of neck injuries. The center of the headrest should be against the back of the head, not against the neck.

-- A clear line of sight over the steering wheel. Three inches of clearance is the minimum.

-- Knowing where blind spots are located and making the best use of your mirrors.

Borgerding said it's difficult to name the most common problem.

"A lot of shorter women—and shorter men—put the shoulder strap of the seatbelt under their armpits because they don't like it across their necks," Borgerding said.

It doesn't belong in either place.

"A lot of seatbelts now have adjustments you can make on the frame of the car," Borgerding said.

A firm cushion or a seat adjustment might do the trick, too.

Another common error is mirror adjustments.

"When I took my car through the CarFit program as part of my training, they said, 'You don't need to see the side of your car or the pavement; you already know what it looks like,'" Borgerding said.

Instead, trainers stood behind and to the side of her car and had Borgerding adjust her mirrors until she could see them.

At Saturday's event, occupational therapists will also demonstrate assistive devices such as seat-belt extenders, gas-cap wrenches and wedge cushions—all items designed to make driving safer and more comfortable.

CarFit's recommendations are not requirements, Borgerding stressed.

"We're not trying to get anybody in trouble," she said. "We're just trying to keep people as safe as possible."

Program helps decide if parents can drive

One of the goals of Saturday's event is to introduce people to Mercy Health System's "Drivers Assessment Program."

"We work with anybody who has had a significant medical change," explained Kris Borgerding, Mercy occupational therapist. "It could be somebody whose diabetes has advanced, or someone who's had a stroke."

The program also works with families to determine if their Moms or Dads are still capable enough to be on the road.

"It's one of those things. If it has to happen, we get to be the bad guy," Borgerding said.

Patients start in the clinic, where their vision, reflexes and other driving-related physical tests are done. Then patients and staff hit the road.

Taking away a license is an "extreme last resort," Borgerding said.

Staff might recommend, for example, that a patient refrain from night driving, or that he or she only drive in town, where speed limits are less.

Other recommendations might include steering wheels with prescription steering knobs, wedge cushions or other adaptive devices.

The clinic testing is $150 and the on-the-road testing is $250. People who attend Saturday's CarFit event will get a 10 percent discount coupon for the clinic testing.

For more information about the clinic, call (608) 755-7998.