DMV targets unfit drivers

Got a problem driving? Maybe you black out sometimes or experience a seizure? Perhaps you have lost consciousness recently from hitting your head on the ski slopes or after one too many glasses of Cabernet? The folks at the California Department of Motor Vehicles would like to know. And maybe they already do.

The state has one of the most rigorous programs in the country to identify and examine drivers who might be unfit to be behind the wheel. California tries to apply the same standards to sober drivers that are commonly applied only to drunk drivers in the vast majority of other states.

So if you are impaired for any reason -- whether it’s because of old age, disease, drinking or too much medical marijuana -- you could be subject to a special examination by the Office of Driver Safety.

The DMV program hardly ranks as some kind of minor, backroom activity. The program makes about 186,000 contacts a year with drivers, most of whom end up with suspended or revoked licenses.

Last week, the DMV’s special examination division had 1,300 cases in Los Angeles County alone that involved drivers affected by physical or mental problems, said Sergio Perez, one of the agency’s regional chiefs for special examinations in Southern California.

Licenses are suspended or revoked in California for many reasons, including alcohol-related driving arrests, excessive numbers of tickets, lack of insurance and even cheating on driving tests.

About 125,000 drivers a year are arrested in California on suspicion of driving under the influence, and under state law they face both criminal charges in state court and an administrative license suspension by the DMV. If they are acquitted in court, the agency will drop the license suspension.

But in cases of a guilty plea, or even a dismissal of criminal charges, the DMV still moves ahead with a suspension -- typically for 30 days for a first-time offender if the driver submits to an alcohol treatment program. About 38,000 drivers a year appeal their drunk-driving arrests, most of them unsuccessfully.

The DMV’s scrutiny reaches well past driving under the influence. Under state law, doctors must report to the local county health department any case in which a person loses consciousness. Doctors also are required to notify the agency if they consider a person unfit to drive for any health reason, such as Alzheimer’s disease, other cognitive disorders, physical ailments and drug addictions.

The county health department then forwards such reports to the DMV. Doctors are not the only source of tips about potentially dangerous drivers. Police, DMV employees and even family members often report individuals they believe should be subject to special examinations.

“If somebody comes into a DMV office and they are shaking or having difficulty understanding us, we refer them to a hearing,” said DMV Director Steven Gourley.

In some cases, the DMV automatically suspends a license and notifies a driver by mail. In other cases, the agency schedules special reviews that call for written and driving tests and a vision examination. The driving test typically involves an intensive, 45-minute stint behind the wheel, compared with the 15-minute test typically given to first-time applicants.

If you happened to bump your head and black out, DMV probably would not pursue the case. But if you had three seizures in a year, for example, the agency would suspend your license. In some cases, the agency examines individual health records and considers doctors’ statements before deciding whether to revoke a license.

Under the agency’s rules, drivers whose licenses are suspended for any reason can ask for a hearing. In 2001, more than 70,000 drivers asked for formal proceedings before special DMV administrative hearing officers. In the hearings, drivers can be represented by attorneys.

In 2001, drivers filed 10,000 appeals of license revocations and suspensions involving mental and physical problems.

The DMV also operates an anonymous program for family members who believe that their kin should be taken off the road.

“It involves family members where the 60-year-old son or daughter is worried about the 90-year-old parent,” the DMV’s Perez said. “If we think there is valid information, we pursue it. We play it safe.”

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Ralph Vartabedian cannot answer mail personally but responds in this column to automotive questions of general interest. Please do not telephone. Write to Your Wheels, Business Section, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. E-mail: ralph.vartabedian@latimes.com.