Elderly Drivers May Face Tougher License Renewal

SANTA MONICA — 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.