Elderly Drivers May Face Tougher License Renewal

Sen. Tom Hayden today plans to announce legislation to toughen license renewal requirements for elderly drivers.

Hayden’s proposal is partly in response to an accident last year in which a Santa Monica teenager was fatally struck in a crosswalk by a 96-year-old driver, said Rocky Rushing, the senator’s chief of staff.

Hayden wants to bar anyone who is legally blind--those with corrected vision worse than 20/200--from driving. The bill would toughen current standards, which allow those who do not meet numerical vision standards to get a license if they pass driving tests, Rushing said.

The Hayden bill would require drivers older than 75 to take a road test in addition to the written and vision tests. At age 80, drivers would be required to undergo renewal tests every three years, instead of five years; the tests would be every two years at age 86 and annually after age 90.