Are Older Drivers Up to Speed?

As it stands now, the Registry requires a driving test only when first applying for a license. License holders can then renew their license online after five years. A simple vision test is required every 10 years. That means a driver can pass the vision test at 90 years old and not have to come back until age 100, Joyce said. Joyce's bill would help seniors keep their skills sharp and protect the general public from people with a diminished capacity, he said. Oftentimes, the only recourse against such drivers is a medical evaluation request, which is filed with the Registry (forms are available online), Dufresne said.

If a complaint about the competency of senior driver arises and is substantiated, that driver must undergo a medical evaluation within 30 days. Anyone can initiate an inquiry, she said, and nearly 8,000 seniors were affected last year.

"It's a growing problem," Joyce said. "With age come some limitations, for some, not all. It's not an easy conversation to have (with a loved one)... I thought it was a fairly modest proposal... Let's hope we take some common-sense steps before there is some horrible tragedy."

The bill has been moved over to the joint committee on transportation but there has not been a hearing as of yet, a spokeswoman in Joyce's office said.

This program was "terrific," Joseph N. Nichols, 89, of Mashpee said as he stood with a handful of materials and literature after the workshop. "Driving with three seconds' distance between you and the car in front of you; six seconds on the highway. That was very interesting to me."

Nichols said that he would not mind if Joyce's bill passed and he were forced to take a test, but he opposed simply taking licenses away from people when they reach a certain age.

Other states already have laws on the books similar to what Joyce is proposing. In New Hampshire, for example, people over 75 are required to take a road test when renewing their license, according to data collected by the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety.