President's Message


Tony DeNovellis
President and CEO

Working for lifelong safe mobility

AAA Colorado has always been involved in traffic safety education, not only for drivers, but for passengers, pedestrians and all other road users in our community.

One such initiative, both nationally and in Colorado, is AAA's "Lifelong Safe Mobility" campaign to help mature drivers retain their independence and safety on the road.

About 652,000 licensed drivers in Colorado are age 60 or over. Colorado has the nation's sixth-largest concentration of people reaching retirement age, and, in today's world, most of them can expect to stay healthy and active long after retirement. Mature drivers are a significant and growing sector of the driving population.

The same active lifestyles that keep Coloradans on the road longer, however, can also lead to denial that one's abilities have changed over time. Good driving is a matter of ability—not age—and we are all inevitably affected by physical changes. Visual acuity, flexibility, strength and reaction time all begin to decrease after age 50. A six-year study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration and the National Institute on Aging found that drivers with decreased functionality in these key areas are two to five times more likely to cause a crash.

Per mile driven, mature drivers have a crash rate similar to that of teen drivers. One of the most emotionally-charged questions we are asked at AAA Colorado is how to talk to an older relative about his or her driving ability. In many cases, a crash or a frightening near miss spurs family members to finally bring up this difficult topic. The best time to talk is before driving ability is affected. In many cases, a mature driver can stay safely on the go with a regular self-assessment of natural changes and simple adjustments to driving habits to compensate.

AAA Colorado wants mature drivers to be able to continue driving safely longer. Please call our Traffic Safety department, 303-753-8800 ext. 8105, if you would like more information on the issues facing mature drivers.

  • Write to AAA Colorado. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@colorado.aaa.com, or mailed to EnCompass Editor, AAA Colorado, 4100 E. Arkansas Ave., Denver, CO 80222.
  • Call. Phone numbers for various departments of AAA Colorado are listed in every issue of EnCompass.
  • Visit an office. There are 14 offices statewide.
  • Visit www.AAA.com's News & Safety pages. Members can learn about what the AAA Association and AAA Colorado are doing legislatively. Additionally, there is a new area called the Legislative Action Center, which helps anyone contact individual government officials, both locally and nationally.

    • I encourage every member to let AAA Colorado know how you feel about traffic safety and transportation issues. Armed with member input, AAA Colorado will continue to move forward to make the state's roads safer for all drivers, passengers and pedestrians.

    Tony DeNovellis
    President and CEO