Abstract
A PPROXIMATELY 23 mill ion licensed drivers 65 years or older currently drive on our roadways; and with the prediction of a rapidly aging society, we expect more and more older persons to share the road. It is estimated that 20 years from now, nearly 25% of all drivers will be older than 65 years, an increase from 15% today. For those who firmly believe that the older driver is, orwill soonbe, ahazardousdriver, these demographic trends presage an emerging public health crisis. There is a public outcry to reduce this perceived threat. We find ourselves in the midst of a debate that pits our core values of personal freedom and individual autonomy against the goal of protection of public safety through the powers of the state. The most common solution offered involves creating laws and regulations that would be broadly applied to all older drivers, ultimately restricting licensingbasedsolelyonadriver’s age.Will this approach, in fact, truly protect the public interest? The question “Should older drivers have to prove that they are able to drive?” appears reasonable to ask, but it carries a subliminal message that reflects our societal biases. The question itself presumes certain truths:
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