ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Department of Motor Vehicles reports traffic crashes are the leading cause of injury-related death in New York.

And as drivers get older, age-related changes in vision, physical functioning, the ability to reason and remember, as well as some diseases and medications, can all play a factor in older drivers’ safety on the road. 

Joyce Woerner says her husband talked with her doctor about concerns with her driving safety. She went to AAA for a driving evaluation.

“I didn’t pass the first one," she said.

The 45-minute evaluations begin with a driving instructor coming to their home, then going over all the basics behind the wheel, such as k-turns, parking and checking the vehicle's blind spots. AAA driving instructor Richard Hyman says stop signs and blind spots were a couple of Joyce's weak points he was concerned about.

“When you get older, your reflexes aren’t there like they were when you’re 16, 17," said Hyman. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports drivers 70 years and older have higher crash death rates than middle-aged drivers. 

With safety as Joyce's family's first concern, they started with a conversation, which is something Hyman says can be a touchy topic for some older drivers. 

“You hear that in the car, 'I don’t know why they’re making me do this.' Well, I don’t either, but we’re doing it,” Hyman said. “It’s not a bad thing if you fail, but it gives you something to look for and what to work on if you want to keep your license. It doesn’t hurt to get one, it gives you a wake-up call.” 

Joyce's first evaluation allowed her to practice and return to AAA to show off her improvements. 

“I did good,” Woerner said after her second evaluation. “I was a little nervous to fail again, but I did pass.” 

The course is helping older drivers calm their nerves on the road.

“I saw a big difference in the second eval that she did," Hyman said. "She did do better this time. She was stopping behind stop signs where the first eval we did, she kind of rolled through them all — never stopped.” 

For Woerner, it's a touch-up on her driving skills to help keep herself and the rest of the community safe. 

“If they’re that bad, they shouldn’t be driving [as] far as I’m concerned," said Hyman. "Because it might be my life, or one of my kids lives, and nobody can live with that if something ever happened out on the road."