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Patrick in favor of road test for elderly

June 25, 2009

Gov. Deval L. Patrick announced his support for legislation that would require drivers 85 and older to pass a road test and eye test every five years to have their licenses renewed, The Boston Globe reported.
Two high-profile accidents in June involving elderly drivers and multiple injuries intensified the pressure on lawmakers to monitor elderly drivers more closely, renewing the heated debate over whether seniors should have to prove their continued fitness to drive.

At New England Rehabilitation Hospital in Woburn, therapists work with patients to prepare them for a return to the road, using simulators to hone their reflexes, depth perception, and other skills in a two-hour program.

Sherry Rodrigues and Keith Poulin, two of the therapists, said that they support more frequent testing of older drivers, who often find it hard to accept that their abilities are declining.

But others doubt that the registry could handle administering more road tests.

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