"If they can't pass it in six tries, then we sit down and look at the situation and decide whether they'll have to give their license up or drive under severe restrictions," Wintle said.

Fewer than 20 percent of drivers end up getting their licenses revoked, Wintle said.

New teenage drivers are allowed three failures in a six-month period between the driving and written test.

The Utah Legislature is considering a bill again this session that would allow individuals to report worrisome drivers to the state driver's license division but remain anonymous to the driver — hopefully eliminating some of the familial backlash when children turn in parents.

Wintle sees that as a positive step, especially since SB34 — now in front of the House Rules Committee — would also make reporting a class C misdemeanor if it were done to annoy, intimidate or harass a driver.

To help older drivers and their families, the AAA Foundation, a nonprofit wing of the AAA, has a Web site with hints, tips and pamphlets.

The booklet "Drivers 55+" asks drivers several questions, then ranks the answers to help drivers gauge their strengths or weakness on the road.

"It helps start a conversation," said Fairley Mahlum, AAA Foundation spokeswoman. "Let's say you turned 60 and your parent is still alive. You can order the test and take it and they can take it with you, (starting) the conversation that is often difficult to start."

Baker said he plans to write a statement now, which he hopes will be helpful, and somewhat self-binding, when he reaches his dad's age

"There may not be any legal clout in it, but I think being of sound mind, and when you have the capacity to do some things, is a wise time to have a family counsel and get a few things in writing," Nathan Baker said. "When I get to that point and don't recognize I'm at that point, I expect my kids to say, 'Dad, it's over. You're done driving."'

That might work for the one type of driver who recognizes their skill level has dropped, Wintle said. But it's harder with the other group, usually men, who associate driving with masculinity and are reluctant to give it up.

"That's the last thing in their mind that gives them self-worth," he said, "so they fight it tooth and nail to the end."

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E-mail: sisraelsen@desnews.com