Seniors need alternatives

It shouldn't take a government agency to wrestle the car keys from an aging parent whose driving skills have deteriorated. It's a delicate matter that would be better handled within one's family.

Absent that, one Utah lawmaker has proposed legislation that would enable loved ones and others to anonymously report problem drivers to the state driver license division and require those drivers to undergo testing to see if they are fit to stay on the road. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, says a person can contact the driver license division if they are aware of a "physical, mental or emotional impairment of another person that is an imminent threat to driver safety."

The intent of the proposed legislation, SB84, is to allow people to report loved ones without fear of hurting a friendship or family relations. Some are bothered by the anonymous reporting provision. In truth, the circle of people who might report a driver would be fairly small. In most families it would not be that difficult to discern who made the call. Beyond that, there would be criminal penalties for people who report others with the intent to annoy, intimidate or harass.

Perhaps a better strategy would be to require more frequent testing for older drivers, particularly those 85 and older, who are more likely to be involved in fatal car crashes than teenage drivers who just received their licenses, according to The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The high accident rate, according to the institute, can be attributed to older drivers' worsening vision, motor skills and perception.

Some argue that such a requirement would unfairly target senior citizens. The over-arching interest in any of these proposals is public safety. To that end, Utah has enacted a number of laws in recent years to address the dangers posed by teen drivers. Teens earn their driver licenses through a graduated process, which helps to protect them, their passengers and other drivers. The insurance actuarial tables support curbs on both ends of the spectrum.

But people who cannot drive their cars need access to transportation. Public transportation is not an option for people who live in rural Utah. They would have to rely on family members, neighbors or community members for assistance. Even city dwellers may be reluctant to use mass transportation because they are unfamiliar with bus routes, TRAX stops or they may fear for their safety.

Lawmakers need to act deliberately, because creating a mechanism that can lead to a significant number of drivers losing their driver licenses means they will need other options to attend to errands, go to church or go to medical appointments. This one fix could trigger an avalanche of other issues.