Come Jan. 1 it's the law: eye tests for older drivers
Gov. Bush also signs a bill cracking down on no-fault insurance fraud.
By Associated Press
Published July 12, 2003
TALLAHASSEE - Drivers 80 and older will be required to have their vision tested when they renew their drivers' licenses under a bill signed Friday by Gov. Jeb Bush.
The governor signed the measure (SB 52) without comment.
He also signed a bill aimed at cracking down on no-fault auto insurance fraud and another making it clear that people's full faces must be shown in driver's license photos.
The vision testing measure, which passed the Legislature during its regular session in May, takes effect Jan. 1. The AARP, which supported the bill, has said it would affect more than half a million Florida drivers.
Thirteen other states have requirements for older drivers to renew their licenses. Maine begins testing drivers' vision after their 40th birthdays. Oregon requires vision tests at 50 and older.
Included in the bill is a requirement that the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles do a comprehensive study of the effects of aging on drivers, a provision that garnered support from AARP for vision testing for the first time. AARP lobbies on behalf of 2.6-million older Floridians.
The measure was also supported by the motorists' group AAA. "We think it's a step in the right direction to keep older drivers on the road as long as safely possible," said AAA spokesman Kevin Bakewell.
The bill was sponsored by Rep. Irv Slosberg, D-Boca Raton, and Sen. Steve Wise, R-Jacksonville.
The governor also signed a bill strengthening criminal penalties for fraud in the no-fault auto insurance system.
The measure (SB 32A) is intended to put a stop to practices such as soliciting accident victims to file phony claims, staging fake accidents, and charging for medical services that were not needed or were never performed.
Bush also signed a bill to clarify that driver's license photos must be of the driver's full face - not allowing a cover like those worn by some Muslim women.
The measure (SB 26A) was passed before a judge issued a ruling essentially making that clear anyway. Circuit Judge Janet C. Thorpe ruled last month that Sultaana Freeman, who is Muslim, cannot wear a veil in her driver's license photo, agreeing with the state that allowing people to show only their eyes would undermine efforts to stop terrorists.
Among other bills Bush signed Friday was one establishing the state's first specialty license plate specifically for motorcyclists. Money raised by the sale of the red, white and blue tag will help fund brain and spinal cord injury, blindness prevention, vocational rehabilitation and independent living programs.
