Legislators look at safeguarding elderly drivers
Rast had no need to worry. She filled out a form, was photographed and left with a new license. Now 97, she is still driving.
Tennessee drivers must renew their licenses every five years, but there are no special requirements for elderly drivers. That could change.
Legislators introduced a bill earlier this year that would establish an advisory committee to look into ways to protect elderly drivers. The bill unanimously passed the House and awaits debate in the Senate.
“When I walked into the driver’s license bureau to renew my license four years ago, I thought someone would say something to me about my age,” Rast said. “They didn’t. They just took my picture, and that’s how easy it was.”
The number of elderly people with licenses has increased nationwide. Nearly 20 million drivers age 65 and older were licensed in 2002, up 29 percent from 1992, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Elderly drivers became a bigger issue in 2003 when a car driven by George Weller, then 86, plowed through an outdoor market in Santa Monica, Calif., killing 10 people.
There are 34 states that use medical review boards to determine when a driver should not be allowed to have a license, according to the National Conference of State Legislators. Tennessee does not.
While a report by the highway administration found elderly drivers are not necessarily more dangerous than other drivers, not all are willing to stop driving when they should. Rast is an exception.
“I’m healthy, but when the time comes and I know that I’m detrimental to myself, I won’t get in a car and cause harm to someone else,” she said.
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Information from: Chattanooga Times Free Press, http://www.timesfreepress.com