LEESBURG, Va. — Inexperienced teen drivers have the highest rates of fatal crashes in the country, but right behind them are the most experienced drivers on the road.

In 2011, there were nearly 15,000 senior driver related crashes in Virginia alone, and 4 percent of those involved a fatality.

So, AAA, along with the Virginia Department for the Aging, has been running a new program to help seniors adapt to changes they are experiencing, like vision and mobility loss.

CarFit is like a driver’s education refresher course for seniors, says Nancy Lo from Virginia’s Department for the Aging.

“Rules of the road have changed, machinery has changed, the cars,” she says. “A lot of [older drivers] don’t know how to use their equipment.”

At Leasure World, a 55 and over community in Leesburg, Suzanne Merk was getting acquainted with her Kia Soul.

She learned how to readjust the seat belts and was embarrassed when she didn’t know where the emergency flashers were.

“I should have known where that is because it’s very clear,” Merk says pointing to the red triangle on her dashboard.

Despite the confusion, Merk considers herself lucky. Many of the people in her community are worse off physically, she says.

Joe Beddick, from AAA, says many seniors respond well to the instructions, but on occasion he has come across one who should not really be on the road any longer. He says it’s up to their relatives to try and convince them to give up the car.

Lo says elderly drivers should be tested often for things like eyesight and reaction time. There are also self assessment tools that can be accessed here.

Watch AAA help some older drivers in the video below: