with HDonlybob on this. Do something about the drunks should be primary. And I dont me more slapping on the wrist. Make the 1st one something they remember and NOT do it again. If they go to the 3rd, then they are done driving ANYTHING for life along with a felony. Cant register anything motorized anymore. The monitary fine by then should be 6 figures or 100% of their income for a year, whichever is higher.


We should have regular road tests for everyone. After a certain age, then more frequent. Had an old woman try to push me on my bike into the median on Milton Ave years ago.

But don't you think a younger driver would have an easier time passing the road test because for that short period of time of the test they would focus and their response times, etc are better? Whereas an older driver with age related difficulties would not do as well. IMO most of the younger drivers' accidents are due to speed and distractions such as texting.

The state extended the renewal period to save money, not to let the taxpayers keep it but so they could spend it somewhere else. Since then, the price of renewal of both driver's licenses and auto licenses has gone up a lot. That was a fool's bargain. Not only has the state not saved any money, they've shirked their responsibility to keep our roads safe. And not just from older drivers but from those younger ones who develop bad habits and have no reason to break them since a driver only has to prove his skills and knowledge once (at a very young age).

hdonlybob I would agree. I live in Milton and recently we had A 74 year old lady crash her car into the Burger King a few weeks back. Apparently when she went to park the car she hit the gas by mistake instead of the brakes. Lucy no one was hurt. I have also seen an accident up on the interstate where an 18 year old was no paying attention to the road and caused a accident as a result the driver was injured and had to be taken to the hospital. I was not sure what the distraction was but it was enough to cause an accident. In my opinion I wonder if Mandatory renewals every 5 years would be better for all drivers. Reason I say that is no two drivers drive the same way or have the same driving skills. I am in my mid 40s and just this summer renewed my drivers license which is now good for 8 years by my next renewal ill be in my early 50s and I wonder how much a persons driving skills can diminish in that amount of time. My next renewal would be 2020.

This is an interesting situation, and I must state up front that I a senior citizen...
However, if you want to increase testing, I have no problem with it, as long as it is mandatory for everyone OVER 16.
I cringe at the way many young people drive.
As far as deaths, I think the state may well do better concentrating on getting DRUNK DRIVERS off the road, before they start this major project.

I've seen this issue from many sides. Older people's health issues do change rather quickly and many of the "rules of the road" have changed and we ALL haven't kept up on them. I think every 5 years we should ALL have to read the driver's manual, pass a short written test, an eye exam and maybe some sort of short dexterity type test. No group should be singled out because of age. Some people develop changes in their well being earlier than others. Doctors also should ask if certain individuals are driving when they see them and take appropriate action (no matter what the age) to remove the person's driver's license if the Dr deems the individual is a danger on the road.

Educators are mandated by law to report any supsected physical or sexual abuse of a student. By the same logic, I strongly urge consideration of the following mandatory reporting to DMV:
...cataracts, glaucoma, or other visual malady which limits vision
...prescription drugs which cause dizziness, disorientation, or reduces mobility
...loss of upper body mobility [ anything which inhibits the driver from checking traffic visually by turning and looking over his shoulders ]
....loss of arm or leg control which would inhibit control of steering wheel or foot pedals
Any of these factors should require Behind the Wheel road test, in my opinion.
. . .
Just as a teacher may be criminally punished for failure to report, it is my opinion that family members, physicians, and optical professionals bear the same responsibility.

All of you posters are to be complemented! Great discussion and no one brought in politics! I thought I felt one way about this issue when I started reading the posts but you gave me some other ways to view this issue. We need more discussions like this and less about politics.

Inattentiveness and rule breaking are behaviors...that can be fixed. Medical issues (physical and mental) are limited to science and technology...and will always get worse.

Considering the audience being asked I expect a response sometime in 2025. Half of Janesville population thinks speed limit means number of days it takes to arrive at your destination. Wake me when it's over and perhaps by that time the state would have begun widening interstate.

I don't believe the testing for older people should be any different than for young people who break all the rules that causes accidents.

The main reason the older drivers should be tested more often is that an individuals health (both mental and physical) will deteriorate at a faster rate than a younger individual. This includes:
-reaction time
-cognition (dementia, alzheimers)
-heart attack/stroke/diabetic shock
-other health concerns
Aside from a vision test, only a doctor can determine these. A simple solution is that the DMV has a doctor waver form. The elderly can see their physician, have them sign off on it, and take to DMV and do a renewal...give them a senior discount so the cost remains the same as someone younger. If a doctor refuses to sign a form...then a person shouldnt be driving. The reality is that there are some individuals that are completely capable of driving into their 90's and individuals in there 50's and 60's that should'nt be.

Most of the complaints against the older person's applies just as well to many of our younger drivers. The 40yr old driving slow while conversing on the cell phone. The impatient driver swerving in and out of lanes just to get to the next stop light faster. The middle aged lady in a rush to no where but hoping everybody gets out of her way. Those slow drivers who are old are obeying the speed limit which 95% of the people of any age don't. They also know their limitations more then some of the younger ones who think they are driving on a race track. When the time is right, I'll stop driving and hope that there is transportation available that I will be able to use in place of the car.

I am 67 years old. The slow drivers that I see are mostly on cellphones (not generally old people). As for old people driving through red lights unaware, they exist in far smaller numbers then the other drivers who I see, almost daily, intentionally speeding up on yellow lights and running the red light or the cars continuing to turn after the turn signal is red. 4 way stops...seems like they confuse drivers of all ages...maybe an IQ test would be more appropriate.
I do know several older people who seem to "be off" on occasion, but they are lucid most of the time and would probably be lucid when they visited the DMV.
All that being said I would have my license renewed every 2 years if it would solve the problem. Financial consideration for extra testing should be given to older people with limited financial means

Rules and road tests every two years for all drivers under the age of 25 and over the age of 65. Also require a brief, specialized physical exam (testing vision, hearing, reaction time, etc) just like pilots undergo when they renew their licenses.

Plus, everyone should get a breathalyzer test when they renew. If you can't show up stone cold sober at the DMV for a license renewal, you're a dangerous alcoholic.

I have to agree with the testing every two years after the age of 65. I have a ways to go to get there but when I do, I would do it and know that there was a good reason for it. If I fail then it would have been my own fault and probably someone else would not be injured because I failed and were not driving anymore. Perhaps there should be a retest provision or something after a period of time. But never the less, to have just ONE person NOT injured or even killed is worth it.

Test every one OR no one & enforce the speed laws
For some reason drivers think the speed limit is 5 to 10 over what is posted

Yes. I'm not sure about 65. By 68 definitely. Every 2 years seems reasonable. The reality is that as people age their reflexes often slow down. I notice that a lot of older drivers tend to compensate for this by driving slower. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. Unfortunately I've seen elderly drivers blow right through red lights without noticing 3 times in the last few months. All at very busy intersections (one at 5 points, one on hwy 14, one on hwy 26). Twice I've had elderly drivers pull out in front of me on Milton Ave because they didn't seem to be able to estimate my speed to the amount of time they would need to safely pull out. On a road where the speed limit is 40 mph and traffic is heavy, that is very a dangerous situation to be in. I'm sure there are young inexperienced drivers creating a lot of unsafe situations as well, but they're already on probationary licenses and under more restrictions than the average driver. I think in person renewals should be a definite yes. I think at some point a road test should be required. Maybe the solution is to start by issuing restricted licenses for those that need it (of course that still raises the question of determining "need"). Things like restricted driving times, restricting them to roads with certain speed limits, etc. Just a thought.

I think that there is definitely a responsibility on family members to monitor their elderly relatives to try and make sure that they stop driving when it becomes unsafe. Unfortunately not everyone has family that will do that. At the end of the day the state issues driver licenses to those they deem worthy, and it should be up to them to restrict where needed.

YES and no one over the age of 75. If we say no one younger than 16, why not put on a maximum?

I don't think a road test should be mandated just because you hit a certain age. Everyone has different levels of physical and mental abilities which usually have nothing to do with the age of the person. What happened to taking personal responsibility, not only for yourself but maybe for an older relative who you know should not be driving? So what if that person gets mad at you for taking away their car keys or reporting them to the DMV. Would it be better to have that person injure or kill someone else. I don't think so. I know people in their upper 70's who drive across many states and are perfectly capable to do so. I don't want my taxes going up just because people can't do the responsible thing. Do I sound pissed off? You're darn right.

If you cannot remember that somebody already took your car away and you cannot drive anymore this is always a good sign that taking the car away was the best option.

Here is an example of needing a drivers test. A car approached to the right of me first. I arrived second and to the left of me somebody arrived third. This would have went off w/o a hitch if any of them had a clue how a 4 way works. The person to THE RIGHT OF WAY just sat there. I flagged him saying you were there first. Remember RUSHING to the stop sign to be sure of this. So finally he goes. Then I try to go because it is MY turn and the person to the left of me starts to go. I finished going. Luckily they stopped going. I looked at them and said NOT YOUR TURN duh. Hope they can read lips!

I often think about this subject as I approach 70. I think about the "old lady" near my granddaughter's school who often stops in the middle of the street for no apparent reason. Maybe she's checking for belly button lint or a lost shopping list from last month or last year. I also think about my old uncle who, in his seventies, let my nearly ancient aunt out of the car in busy downtown Madison. He didn't notice that the car door was shut on her coat and he accelerated away with her in tow and she was in for a 300 yard jaunt down State street. In his hometown everyone knew who he was and what his car looked like. When he drove through town the street cleared as if he had parted the Red Sea. He was a church-going man and may have been considered the Moses of my hometown but he should not have had a Wisconsin driver's license. I only hope that I will know when it is time to give up my license. I won't comment on younger drivers as I am no longer young. It seems that common sense should prevail. The problem with common sense is that all-to-often it is in short supply.

Once you hit retirement age yes. Older people always drive slower... for some reason they must think slower is safer..Safer for them maybe but people need to be respectful of others. They back up traffic and create more dangerous conditions for everyone else. I dont know how many near misses ive seen and most because of backed up traffic and the root cause was a slow old person.

I do know that when my dad was in his late 60s and early 70s he started having fender benders because he had health issues. I was very close to sending in the form to the state about his impairments (so he could be angry with me and not my mom who had to live with him), but another health issue finally shut the door on any more driving. I agree that drivers should be tested regularly because there are younger people who are either just bad drivers or health-impaired, also. There probably should be both written and road tests at the 8 year mark. Of course, that will increase costs (read: taxes) because there will need to be more DMV employees - I hear there is already a shortage of them for road tests for getting licenses in the first place.

Here we go again. No. Test everyone then.

YES!! I think all should be tested more often. Written and more than just do you see the light.

I'm much more worried about the younger drivers than I am older ones. Also, I'm older which makes me biased (grumpy old coot).