Defensive driving course to be offered
Staff writer
Hillsboro will be getting a new kind of driving course. Tony Epp of Goessel hopes to offer an American Association of Retired Persons driver safety program here, if the response is positive.
Epp wants to offer the defensive driving course because he went through the course and benefited from it immensely.
"I was reminded of some things when I took the course while I lived in Denver, Colo.," he said. "It was a wake-up call to my driving habits."
Epp became interested in the program in 1995 and went to the instructor's seminar to become a certified teacher. He later became an assistant to the state coordinator of the safe-driving course in Colorado.
In 1997, he moved to Kansas. He transferred his credentials and became an instructor in Harvey County and later became an assistant to the state coordinator in Kansas.
Epp was responsible for Harvey, Butler, Reno, and Stafford counties.
The position is a volunteer one, and Epp's responsibilities were to recruit individuals as teachers or instructors. He taught the safe driving classes, and he also had to locate sponsors. These sponsors are people who volunteer their facilities or meeting rooms for the classes.
In September of 2001, Epp moved to Goessel and began looking to start a safe-driving class in Marion County. He taught the course in Goessel but is now looking to expand in other places in Marion County.
Epp works in cooperation with Alice Dittman who teaches the course at the Hillsboro Senior Center.
Although, he said he will assist Dittman in anyway she may need him.
"I want to offer a class during the evening for working people or for those who go to school," Epp said.
Epp stresses that the class is not just for senior citizens but for any licensed driver. AARP dropped the 55 from its program title for that reason.
"That was a good move, I feel," Epp said. "Also I want to get away from the stigma that this course is just for senior citizens."
Epp's classes will meet in the city civic center meeting room depending on the response from the community.
He will offer the two four-hour sessions in the evenings and on Saturdays.
There will be no actual driving required to complete the course. Participants of the class will receive a workbook, have opportunity for discussion, and there will be no written pass/fail tests.
Participants are required to attend both four-hour sessions in order to receive a completion certificate to present to insurance companies.
According to Epp, Kansas is one of the few states that allows any licensed driver who takes the course to qualify for a premium reduction.
One stipulation is that everyone listed on the policy must compete the course in order to receive the reduction in their premiums.
Epp said the course is regulated closely by the insurance companies.
"I want to make the course interesting and not boring," Epp said.
"We will have fellowship time, personal discussions, and will take breaks," Epp said.
"It will be a relaxed time — but we're going to do what we need to do to finish business, but it's not going to be hard on you."
Epp can be reached at (620) 367-2717 for those who are interested in taking the safe-driving course to brush up on their driving knowledge and to learn to be defensive and better drivers.
