In the wake of the latest accident involving an elderly driver, Gov. Deval Patrick said yesterday he supports some type of road testing for seniors and that his administration is looking into legislation to make it mandatory.
“No disrespect to seniors,” Patrick said, “but public safety has to come first.”
Patrick added he is not sure at which age testing should begin.
His remarks, which came in an interview on WTKK-FM (96.9) radio, followed an accident Tuesday morning outside a Randolph school used as a polling place.
As dozens of horrified pupils at the E.G. Lyons Elementary School looked on, 86-year-old William Geisler allegedly lost control of his Ford Escape SUV, hitting and pinning second-grader Brittany Noel, 8, beneath the vehicle. She suffered a fractured skull and internal injuries and remained in serious condition yesterday in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of Boston Medical Center.
Last fall an elderly woman drove into a main entrance of a Brockton hospital, killing both a doctor and a receptionist. The day before in Southboro an 80-year-old man ran a stop sign and hit an Oldsmobile driven by an 88-year-old woman, sending both drivers and a passenger to the hospital.
State Sen. Brian Joyce has twice pushed for legislation to require drivers 85 or older to take vision and road tests before renewing their licenses. His efforts have been opposed by AARP, the powerful lobbying group. The AARP contends stricter testing should apply to all drivers, a proposal which Joyce maintains would be prohibitively expensive.
Patrick acknowledged the difficulty of passing such legislation, but he said something must be done, given the recent string of accidents.
“We want to talk to the AARP about this,” he said. “We’ve got to think about that.”
Massachusetts is one of only three states in the nation that does not test older drivers at all.
nothing like a knee jerk reaction there after how many accidents???????
Posted by: 94c
It's a tragedy to get old and not have anyone around to help with the doctor's visits and groceries.
But at what point do you take a car from someone who can barely walk and has lost half his marbles?
Posted by: Wolfman
Young drivers crash due to willful negligence, inattention and risk taking. Elderly drivers become dangerous without realizing it due to physical degeneration and the normal processes of aging.
Retesting older drivers will help to identify those who may pose a risk.
Retesting younger drivers will make them behave for 20 minutes.
Posted by: GALEWINDS
Oregon and Calif have had laws in place for years, Buck Rogers says welcome to the furture
Posted by: dcs2244
Not going to happen here...the gray lobby is too powerful. The "over eighty" demographic is the fastest growing segment of the population, and they vote. The bill will be DOA in commitee, Citizen Joyce.
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