Sound Off: On the road again and again

As the number of drivers older than 85 increases in Florida, should testing be mandatory?

By Associated Press and SHEILA REED
October 29, 2002

Israel Haimowitz attributes his clean driving record after 83 years on the road to good health, 10 hours of sleep a night and a breakfast of 2 ounces of cognac and five cookies.

At 100, Haimowitz, who renewed his driver's license last month in the Fort Lauderdale area, is part of a growing number of Florida motorists who are 85 or older.

With an estimated 248,000 licensed drivers older than 85 in the state, the population has become the fastest growing group of drivers in the state, according to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

"It just keeps growing," said Selma Sauls, a spokeswoman for the department. "People are living longer."

Now, some legislators think Florida should give a special test for older drivers.

Two years ago, State Rep. Ron Greenstein, D-Coconut Creek, introduced a bill requiring drivers older than 85 to undergo testing. When the bill failed, he advocated testing for all drivers.

Older motorists, a strong voting bloc in Florida, see the move as an attack on their freedom.

"If you took my driver's license away from me, you'd be taking away my independence," Haimowitz said. "I'd drop dead right then and there."

The American Automobile Association does not advocate any restrictions or special testing for seniors, but it does back limited testing.

"They're wiser drivers," AAA spokesman Mantill Williams said. "They don't put themselves in dangerous situations as opposed to younger drivers."

-- Associated Press

Special drivers, special tests

Safe driving is no accident. Any time you get behind the wheel of a car, you have to be vigilant. As Seniority contributor Geoffrey Gray often emphasizes in the 55 Alive column, refresher courses are a good way to brush up on your driving skills. But should there be a mandatory age-based driving test for older drivers? And if they fail that test, should older drivers be required to give up their license or, should they have restricted driving privileges? As the man in the accompanying story illustrates, driving means independence for many seniors, but what happens when your driving becomes more of a hazard than a means of independence?

-- Sheila Reed

Please send your responses, no more than 250 words, to Sound Off, c/o Seniority editor Sheila Reed, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. Or e-mail sreed@sptimes.com. Please include your name, age, place of residence and a phone number (it will not be published) at which you can be reached if we need to talk with you.

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