seniors get up to speed in driving thanks to internships

In Fresnes-en-Woëvre (Meuse), Roger Margérard, 79, is taking a driving course. It drives 30 minutes with a monster on country roads, in manual gear. For this accustomed to the automatic transmission, everything is rolling. “Perfect, according to the monitor”, he rejoices. Régine Igier, 74, also complied with the exercise. The 13 other trainees of the day are all volunteers and motivated.

You have to learn the new panels, answer the MCQ or even adapt to projection methods. The seniors had a little more difficulty with the test of the highway code, which requires more pedagogy. “We are starting to see elderly people come to see us, to reassure themselves. They reassure themselves, but it also reassures their families”, comments Yannick Jeannel, director of the Helvetia driving school in Verdun (Meuse). Courses have been organized here for 20 years, and there are always more registrants.