Legislators Ask How Old Is Too Old for Senior Drivers

George Freestone has been driving automobiles for as long as Arizona has been a state.

And as he rolls along toward his 102nd birthday in August, he has no plans to relinquish his cherished seat behind the wheel of his 1997 Oldsmobile Eighty Eight.

“I’ve been driving since I was 14, before you even needed a license. Never had a ticket. Never had a problem,” said Freestone, whose first job was as an instructor at his father’s driving school at age 16.

Still, drivers like Freestone often evoke the ire and suspicions of many younger motorists, who think older people represent increased safety risks as their eyesight, hearing and reflexes erode with age.

“They’re overcautious, they drive too slow and they’re slow to react to things like lane changes,” said Bob Seitzer, a 27-year-old auto parts deliveryman in the Phoenix area. “I think every driver 65 and up should be tested as much as possible.”

So do some legislators around the country. During the 1999 legislative sessions, 16 states considered bills relating to older drivers. Thirteen states plus the District of Columbia have passed laws in recent years for stricter safeguards.

New Hampshire now requires people 75 and older to take a road test to continue driving. Drivers 75 and up in Washington, D.C., may need to have their reactions tested before they can renew their licenses.

At least 35 states also have medical review boards that can restrict or revoke the license of any driver deemed unsafe.

As the nation’s baby-boomer population continues to age--with an estimated 50 million Americans in the 65-and-older category expected by 2020--the debate continues about “how old is too old” when it comes to driving.

Recent incidents have helped fuel the controversy.

On March 22, a minivan driven by an 84-year-old woman unexpectedly shifted into reverse and hit students outside a Smithfield, N.C., middle school. A 10-year-old boy was killed, and six other children were injured. Authorities still haven’t determined if driver error caused the accident and whether to charge her.

In Arizona on Feb. 29, a car driven by a 92-year-old woman crashed through four tents at a crafts fair in Sun City West, killing an 80-year-old man and injuring six other people. The driver said a trash receptacle got entangled in her floor pedals. Authorities said she had a spotless driving record and did not file charges, although she faces a medical review and retest to keep her license.

Gary Gershowitz, spokesman for the Florida Department of Elder Affairs in Tallahassee, said age shouldn’t be one of the criteria used to determine whether someone can drive.

“If a person is physically and mentally able to get behind the wheel of a car and is not a danger to themselves or others, he or she should be allowed to drive regardless of their age,” he said. “It shouldn’t matter if they are 70, 80 or 90.”

“There are more accidents with 20-something drivers. It just seems like accidents involving elderly drivers get all the bad publicity,” added Bruce Taft, coordinator for Arizona’s 55-Alive driving refresher program, which is sanctioned by the American Assn. of Retired Persons.

U.S. Department of Transportation figures for 1998, the most current available, show that drivers age 70 and older were involved in 161,000 traffic accidents, accounting for 5% of all the people injured in such crashes that year.

But other researchers say that since seniors tend to drive less and avoid driving at night or in bad weather, their per-mile accident percentage mirrors the level of motorists in their teens and early 20s.

“Although licensed older drivers have fewer crashes compared to the total population, they do have higher fatal accident rates,” said Melissa Savage, who works for the Denver-based National Conference of State Legislatures.

“All I know is I’m a very good driver,” said 90-year-old Elsie Emslie of St. Petersburg, Fla. “I’ve had a license since I was 16 and never had a ticket. I started taking voluntary road tests in 1997 just to be sure I’m still alert enough. I’ve passed every time.”

Freestone also remains confident of his ability, and he shares the driving duties with his 81-year-old wife as they do errands around town, visit friends or go to church.

“He’s a good driver,” Mary Freestone said as her husband deftly backed their car out of a carport and into the late-morning sunshine. “And he doesn’t drive slow either.”

When the couple drove the 600 miles from Tempe to Provo, Utah, a couple years ago, Mary Freestone said, she took the wheel for only about 100 miles. “I wasn’t driving fast enough,” she said.

“I drive the speed limit. If the sign says 70, I’ll go 70,” said George Freestone. “I’ve done a lot of driving in my day. If I feel I can’t drive anymore, I won’t. But I still feel I’m a good driver.”