Chance to boost public safety and see to aging citizens
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RE "PRESSURE mounts to test elder drivers" (Page A1, June 8): It is time, indeed, for legislation to address the safety hazards presented by elderly, medically impaired drivers. Increased testing may be needed, and it must be accessible and affordable. Transportation alternatives for elders must be improved. Healthcare providers who identify potentially hazardous drivers must be protected.
The safety of older drivers is threatened by visual, musculoskeletal, and cognitive difficulties, the latter in more than 40 percent of 85-year-olds. In-person, on-the-road testing should begin at an earlier age than the proposed 85, for optimal safety.
Testing is costly and not covered by insurance. Drivers fear that a test failure will result in license suspension, a serious potential hardship. Families can help by observing elder drivers' skills and encouraging assessment - for example, using AAA's software tool, Roadwise Review.
Healthcare providers who detect medical conditions that raise safety concerns need not be mandated to report, but must be protected from consequences for doing so.
Reforms must go beyond simply mandating tests for drivers well into the period of increased risk. Our governor and Legislature have a golden opportunity to improve public safety while attending to the rights and needs of our aging citizens.
Dr. James M. Ellison
Belmont 
