Older drivers get one more for the road

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The number of elderly drivers in the United States is climbing dramatically, and growing numbers of states are enacting special requirements designed to ensure the driving skills of older motorists are not impaired.

Yesterday in Florida, a state with one of the nation's largest senior populations, a new law took effect that requires drivers 80 and older to pass an eye test to renew their licenses, instead of simply renewing their licenses through the mail.

Florida is one of more than 20 states getting tougher on older drivers by requiring medical or vision tests, mandatory road tests or establishing shorter periods for renewal. It is a trend that is expected to continue, as the population of elderly drivers grows.

Justin McNaull, spokesman for AAA, said a July incident in which 10 persons were killed when an 86-year-old driver plowed through a crowded farmer's market in Santa Monica, Calif., "put the issue on the national radar."

Two states, Illinois and New Hampshire, require that drivers 75 and older pass a road test in order to renew their licenses. In Nevada, drivers 70 and older who renew their licenses by mail must include a medical report.

In California, state driving tests are mandatory for license holders 70 and older involved in two or more crashes in a year.

More states could follow with such legislation this year, as 36 state legislatures reconvene.

Currently, there are at least 19 million licensed drivers 65 and older in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). That figure is a 32 percent increase from the number a decade ago. It compares with a 13 percent rise in the total number of all licensed drivers during the same period, the NHTSA said.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, drivers 85 and over showed the strongest growth nationally between 1995 to 2001. Their numbers swelled by 46 percent during that period.