EDITORIAL: Don’t overreact to grocery store accident
The story of the local woman in her 80s who apparently lost control of her truck and drove through a crowded grocery store on March 1 led to a predictable response from some readers: calls for stricter standards for aging drivers to retain their licenses.
As reported by the Review-Journal’s Tom Ragan and Wesley Juhl, the woman — who has yet to be identified or charged — drove her Ford pickup through the front doors, veered right and ended up at the rear of the Food 4 Less store at Sahara and Eastern avenues. Nine people were hospitalized, and at least 17 people were treated at the scene, but there were no fatalities or life-threatening injuries. The driver suffered no visible injuries, was not taken into custody and was driven home from the scene by her son.
Nevada is among 33 states (and Washington, D.C.) that have specific licensing requirements for older drivers. According to Kevin Malone of the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, drivers age 71 and older cannot renew their licenses online. A driver renewing by mail must include the results of a physical evaluation by a doctor, dated within 90 days of the renewal, stating whether the driver has a medical condition and/or is taking medications that could affect driving ability. In addition, mail renewals must include the results of a vision exam.
Drivers renewing in person at DMV offices would provide such information via testing and the renewal questionnaire. The state enacted a new policy this year creating eight-year periods between license renewals, but drivers age 65 and older are still limited to four-year licenses.
Nevada’s policies are in line with those of other states, and while some might clamor for tighter restrictions in the wake of incidents such as the one at Food 4 Less, insurance statistics don’t justify such steps. Insurance premiums for teenagers are still higher than any other category of drivers, according to Victor Rodriguez, a regional media spokesman for State Farm. If aging drivers were a real threat, they’d be priced out of the insurance market. The fact that they aren’t is the surest sign that, while the Food 4 Less incident was terrible, aging drivers aren’t a public safety threat in Nevada.
These types of incidents are extremely rare. Lawmakers must have an exceptionally good reason to limit or take away the independence of a large class of people. Vision tests and shorter renewal periods are common sense, but any measures beyond those need to be carefully considered. Busybodies looking for the next legislative solution to a problem should probably look somewhere else.
