Consider This from NPR Who decides when you're too old to drive?
Mar 27, 2026
Joel Rose, NPR transportation correspondent who covers driving and licensing, guides listeners through the fraught question of when to stop driving. He outlines the patchwork of state rules and recent rollbacks. He explores family confrontations, research tying relaxed relicensing to crashes, and how car tech and self-driving systems might change the picture.
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Fatal Pedal Confusion Leads To Family Activism
- An 85-year-old driver, Jean Woolley, accidentally ran over 12-year-old Emmett Zudrow after saying she confused the brake and gas pedals.
- The crash in Green Lake, Wisconsin killed Emmett and spurred his mother Angela Zudrow to call for stricter relicensing rules.
State Patchwork Shapes Older Driver Rules
- There is no single national standard for older driver relicensing; states form a patchwork of rules from no age-based checks to frequent in-person renewals.
- Some states added mandatory vision tests and reporting pathways two decades ago, while others never did or are loosening rules now.
Ability Not Age Is The Core Argument
- Advocates for older drivers argue licensing should be based on ability, not age, noting driving is essential where transit options are poor.
- Illinois had strict rules requiring a behind-the-wheel test in the 70s, but lawmakers like Jeff Kiker call that ageist and are loosening it.