August 5, 2003
CAUTION ON OLDER DRIVERS

AS THE NUMBER of older drivers increases, states will have to find ways to make sure they are competent to remain behind the wheel. Urgency was added to the issue last month when an 86-year-old California man plowed into an open-air market, killing 10.

Driving is a symbol of independence and a necessity as well, especially in areas badly served by public transportation. Thomas Finneran, speaker of the Massachusetts House, ignited a controversy last month when he suggested that drivers 70 years of age and older be subject to a new test. Under current Massachusetts law, drivers must take a vision test every five years, but there is no requirement that driving skills be reexamined.

Finneran's idea overreaches. According to the Registry of Motor Vehicles, only 16 percent of drivers 71 to 75 years old caused an accident in 1996, the latest year surveyed. This figure is among the lowest for any age group in the state, and these people should be treated no differently from other drivers.

But after age 75, the at-fault accident rate went up dramatically, to 22 percent for the 76-to-80 age group and to 27 percent among drivers ages 81 to 85. Still, these figures are below the 34 percent at-fault rate for drivers 21 to 25 years old, the most accident-prone. People in this age group, unlike the elderly, often drive dangerously because of alcohol abuse or recklessness, faults that are best addressed by vigorous law enforcement, not a driving test.

The Census Bureau projects that the number of people 65 and over in Massachusetts will increase from 843,000 in 2000 to 1,252,000 in 2025. Much can be done to improve their driving experience, according to The Road Information Program, an advocacy group. States could increase the size of letters on signs, brighten street lights, widen lanes, and make intersections safer. Money for these purposes ought to be provided in the federal highway bill, now up for consideration.

Not all highway hazards can be eliminated. Some older drivers need to be kept off the road, and it is unreasonable for the state to leave that chore to family members.

The state Legislature, under Finneran's leadership, should begin a dialogue about the best ways to make sure older drivers are safe. Some retesting should be considered, especially for those in their 80s, or perhaps a physician's certificate of competence could take the place of an exam.

In California, police are investigating whether Russell Weller, at the wheel when his car plowed through shoppers at the Santa Monica farmers' market, was competent to drive. It would be wrong to let this tragedy pass without examining whether new procedures are required to protect the public as the population ages.