Brush up on your driving knowledge and get behind the wheel with newfound confidence the next time you take to the road.

The Staying Safe refresher course for older drivers has been presented by Age Concern in Tauranga for about 20 years.

Funded by the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, the course is free to participants and helps to encourage greater road safety.

Pāpāmoa 83-year-old Sue Brown recently took the course and says it helped her remember things she had forgotten.

“I’m coming up to 84 so I’ve had my licence for quite a while and I’ve been driving for about 65 years,” says Sue.

“I found it [the course] very informative and I sort of brushed up my memory.”

The four-hour course is classroom-based with no test or exam.

As a senior driver you will learn about the effects of aging such as the effects of medication, slower reaction times and a reduction in eyesight and hearing.

You will also be encouraged to think about how these things affect you individually and how to counteract them.

“I think the course is a must as you get older,” says Sue.

“It’s a good refresher and way to bring everything back.”

Going over the road code, the course discusses give way rules, intersection rules and the use of roundabouts, road markings and signs.

Bookings are essential for this free course. To book phone (07) 578 2631.