Under Fire From Seniors, Hayden Amends Driver Testing Bill

Yielding to heavy criticism from senior citizen drivers, state Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Los Angeles) has dropped any reference to age in a bill that seeks mandatory testing for motorists 75 and older.

The concession came when an Assembly committee refused to approve the bill if it referred to any specific age group. Instead, the amended bill would require testing of drivers who are reported as unsafe by doctors, police or family members.

Hayden conceded Tuesday that the change would affect far fewer senior citizens than he had hoped, but said he still believed it would make California’s roads safer.

“I’m disappointed that they were unwilling to look at the aging problem,” Hayden said of the Assembly Appropriations Committee. “It might be seen as a setback, but I think we’re still making progress.”

Hayden introduced the bill last year after two highly publicized traffic deaths involving senior citizens. The bill was named for one of the victims, Brandi Mitock, 15, of Santa Monica, who was struck and killed by a 96-year-old driver.

Hayden’s bill encountered heavy criticism from senior citizens and the lobbying arm of the American Assn. of Retired Persons, which called it discriminatory.

Now that any reference to age has been removed, the association plans to support the bill, said Helen Savage, the group’s legislative coordinator.

“We were opposed to the portion that singled out any one age group,” she said. “Now it considers actual driving history or health condition rather than just age.”

The bill still must be voted on by the Assembly Appropriations Committee and then by the full Assembly.

The bill would establish a minimum standard for vision, which does not exist. It would prohibit the issuance of a license to anyone whose best corrected vision is 20/200 or worse.