One hot topic this week at the 24th Older Iowans Legislature has been driver licensing. A report by the Insurance Institute has called for special training to keep skills current for drivers over 70 years of age. Right now the only difference is that over-70 drivers in Iowa re-test every two years for a vision test, and like anyone they might get a restriction on their license or be sent to an eye doctor for more tests. Dave Stutz in the state’s Driver Services bureau says there’s something you can do if you think an older driver is unsafe.If a doctor, cop or anyone thinks a driver’s unsafe, they can send a written report and Driver Services may decide to call in the driver and give tests. The request is not anonymous: Stutz says the older driver will know who sent it in. Stutz says there are a lot of people who depend on being able to drive a car. He says public transit has some limitations since it’s a rural state and a lot of older people depend on cars. Stutz says the state has 347-thousand, 397 drivers over age 65. That’s sixteen percent of the population.
