February 2005

The Newsletter of the Wyoming Public Transit Association
WYTRANS AGENCIES STRESS SERVICE AND SAFETY
     Several Wyoming Public Transit Agencies are featured in this issue of The Transit Express, the newsletter of the Wyoming Public Transit Association. These agencies provide services that improve the quality of life for those who use public transit in all 23 Wyoming counties.

Film Documentary Focuses on Issues
Involving Driving and Aging

     The Sheridan Senior Center was recently involved in the making of a PBS documentary. Wiland-Bell Productions, producers of the two-hour national PBS care-giving special, “And Thou Shalt Honor,” is producing a new documentary on senior drivers, a portion of which was shot on location in Sheridan, Wyoming. Award winning filmmaker and Producer Dale Bell was in Sheridan December 10-11 to shoot the various perspectives on this issue, including interviews with an older driver, family members, a local physician, and the Sheridan Senior Center. Bell is interested in how a rural community responds to the issues surrounding this challenging life transition, particularly in what alternative transportation systems are available.
     The documentary is funded by a grant from the Automobile Club of America Foundation for Traffic Safety in conjunction with the Center for Healthy Aging in Santa Monica, California, as a public education effort to raise awareness of the issues of driving and aging.  It will explore how seniors feel about driving, the responsibility of the rest of society to monitor our elders’ ability to continue to drive safely, and the mobility alternatives society must provide its elders as age diminishes eyesight, agility, and mental acuity.
     “Getting Around” (working title) will examine the role of family members, physicians, and the DMV in monitoring elders’ fitness to drive. It will shed light on the “red flags” of impairment and how physicians can broach this topic with their older patients.
On location in Sheridan, left to right, Jonathan Bell, Diana Nelson, and filmmaker Dale Bell.
On location in Sheridan, left to right, Jonathan Bell, Diana Nelson, and filmmaker Dale Bell.
     The filmmakers hope to help initiate a change in the way our society views the privilege of driving and the responsibility we all share in monitoring our individual ability to drive safely.  The documentary is tentatively slated for broadcast on PBS stations nationwide in the latter part of 2005. 
It’s Cool to Buckle Up!
Transportation Safety Campaign

     The Riverton Senior Center Transportation Department transports 40 to 50 children to private schools, Headstart, day-care centers, and other agencies. The center recently launched a new safety campaign designed for children to remind them to buckle up. The six-month campaign will significantly impact the lives of the children who ride the bus on a regular basis.
     To start the “It’s Cool To Buckle Up” campaign, each child was given a patch to wear with the theme printed on it. These were produced on computer-generated labels. The patches are easily replaced should they get lost.
     During each month at different intervals children are given prizes if they are buckled up and ready to go before the bus leaves.
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    Wyoming Transit Express 1 February 2005