According to the CDC, approximately 48 million persons aged 65 and older have a driver’s license in 2020, up 68% from 2000. And as older folks continue to stay healthy, that figure will climb.

While elderly persons are not the most likely to cause an accident (those under 40 are), people over 65 are more likely to be involved in an accident due to a variety of age-related problems. In 2020, approximately 7,500 older individuals were died in crashes, and nearly 200,000 were treated in hospitals for injuries. Currently, there is no federal legislation dictating when people of a specific age should stop driving, and I do not believe we should go so far as to attempt to enact one. However, I believe we should reconsider what occurs when a person reaches the age of 70 and is still legally permitted to drive.

Every state has a unique process for renewing your license. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, as of 2020, 21 states offer shorter renewal periods based on the driver’s age. For example, in Florida, the regular renewal time is eight years, but drivers over the age of 80 must renew their license every six years. Maine enables drivers under the age of 65 to renew their licenses every six years, but those over 65 must renew them every four years.

Aside from the renewal period, we need to address vision and road testing. As of 2020, just four states assessed senior drivers’ visual acuity after they reached a specified age. The remaining states had either a minimum requirement for all drivers, regardless of age, but did not test on-site, or they required everyone, regardless of age, to take a visual acuity test at their in-person renewal.

All states should require a visual acuity test for all drivers, either in-person during renewal or online or by mail, with the option to submit findings from a recent eye checkup. Perhaps the most concerning aspect of it all is that only one state mandates people over a certain age to repeat the road test before renewing their licenses. However, that could soon change as an Illinois politician seeks to eliminate the state’s road test requirement for drivers over the age of 75.

Some contend that it is ageist, while others believe that people with traffic violations require it more than older citizens. Retesting senior drivers at regular intervals can assist uncover potential driving concerns and, if necessary, make adjustments to keep them on the road. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), while strength, reasoning skills, and vision can deteriorate with age, this does not preclude someone from driving safely. Because one person’s abilities may remain sharp while another’s deteriorates, there should be no age limit for driving—only a regulation requiring those beyond a particular age to retake the road test.