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Published on 07/28/1999 All articles from this issue

Other Voices

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By David B. Ferguson

Senate Bill 335 is a good reminder

If you're following the current debate surrounding stricter testing for California drivers age 75 and older, you're aware of the difficulties posed when society must balance the rights of all its citizens.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles certainly has a valid point in wanting to keep state roads safe; however, the arguments against Senate Bill 335 are also valid.

The American Association of Retired Persons opposes the bill on grounds that it discriminates against senior citizens; AARP lobbyists say other states have resolved this issue without enacting laws that target seniors.

About 830,000 of California's licensed drivers are above age 75, and 106,000 of those are older than 85, according to DMV records. SB 335, introduced by Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Los Angeles), includes a provision authorizing the state to develop alternative transportation programs by Jan. 1, 2002, for seniors who lose their driving privileges (but no funding is included for that provision).

As president and CEO of one of California's oldest providers of senior housing and health care, I know intimately the balancing act required when serving seniors who are independent while also providing care when necessary.

Most of our residents still drive, and competent driving symbolizes independence. But even if skills diminish, the thought of losing that privilege creates stress. For many older citizens, loss of driving privileges would mean actually losing independence.

Striving to balance our residents' desire to remain independent with our mission to safeguard their health has made us more innovative in how we provide customer service. State lawmakers are now caught up in a similar balancing act.

Also known as "Brandi's Law," SB335 is named for 15-year-old Brandi Mitock. She died in November after being struck by a car driven by 96-year-old Brian Cox of Santa Monica. Cox was sentenced to five years probation.

California drivers with clean records receive automatic renewals, but that practice would end when drivers reach age 75, if SB 335 passes.

If passed, the bill would impose mandatory behind-the-wheel driving tests for drivers age 75 and older when renewing licenses. Additionally, the time between license renewals would be shortened based on age.

The bill won a narrow victory in the California Senate and is now in the Assembly Transportation Committee.

Disagreements about the bill do not fall along age lines. Senators Richard Mountjoy (R-Monrovia) and Betty Karnette (D-Long Beach), both 67, argue opposing views.

Mountjoy said the "bill punishes one group of people simply because of their age." Karnette counters that it protects that group. "It's because we care about them," she said.

Truly caring about senior citizens requires being sensitive to their needs, especially that dearest one of remaining independent in their final years.

With luck, we'll all face the same issue in our own lives. Would you be willing to have tougher standards because of your age?

David B. Ferguson is president and chief executive officer of American Baptist Homes of the West, a nonprofit, nonsectarian provider of senior housing since 1949.

One of its retirement communities, Pilgrim Haven, is located in Los Altos.