Pols debate elderly driving

BOSTON – At least two Lynn area representatives agreed with State Sen. Brian Joyce, who was seated alongside the uncle of a 4-year-old girl who was struck and killed by an elderly driver earlier this month, who pleaded with a panel of his colleagues Tuesday to do something – anything – to keep dangerous drivers off the roads.”My gosh, let’s do something,” Joyce said as he spoke to the Committee on Transportation, pushing his bill to road test drivers every five years once they turn 85.Joyce, who has filed age-based legislation for each of the last three sessions, urged his colleagues to take action quickly.”We need to start,” Joyce said. “There’s a movement to reject all age-based legislation. The statistics and common sense tell us driving skills diminish at a certain age.”Nayan Patel, the uncle of Diya Patel, who was struck and killed by an 89-year-old earlier this month, told lawmakers that condolences won’t do anything.”People can actually do something about this,” he said. “If this is avoidable, why shouldn’t it be avoided?”Transportation Committee member Rep. Robert Fennell, D-Lynn, said testimony like Patel’s will guide lawmakers in drafting the most effective legislation.”As a member of the Transportation Committee I heard compelling and heart-wrenching testimony today that will help the committee draft a comprehensive piece of legislation that will encompass all aspects of licensed drivers in the commonwealth,” he said following the hearing. “I believe the time has come that we as a legislative body have to address this issue.”Although Fennell supports drafting the bill, he said it should target more than just those who are 85 or older.”In drafting this legislation we cannot just target elderly drivers, but we should periodically test and re-evaluate all drivers,” he said. “We must also look at individuals that may be younger than 80 years of age that show early stages of dementia, Alzheimer’s, or maybe victims of stroke. There should be a mechanism in place that would notify the RMV by the physician or family member of such aliments, that would result in a possible temporary license suspension until the individual is once again physically and mentally capable of driving and is retested by the RMV.”Rep. Lori Ehrlich,D-Marblehead, also a joint Transportation Committee member, said she believes there need to be some changes to make the roads safer for everyone.”I am in favor of in person testing every five years for drivers over the age of 85,” she said. “Whether it is by a simulator, on the road or some other scientifically valid way. What this will do is protect seniors, other drivers, passengers and pedestrians.”Even as top lawmakers vowed to put together a comprehensive bill to address a recent spate of accidents – some fatal – among elderly drivers, as well as text-messaging motorists, tension among lawmakers over the right approach was evident.”I disagree strongly with the idea we would pick an age on the timeline,” said Rep. Joseph Wagner (D-Chicopee), who said the committee intended to act on a comprehensive bill sooner rather than later. Wagner said when the state licenses any driver – “at 25, at 55, at 75, at 85″ the public should have confidence that such driver is competent.Wagner voiced an argument supported by the AARP, the Massachusetts Medical Society and other backers of a bill to permit doctors to report patients with cognitive disabilities to the Registry of Motor Vehicles.”I would hope that it should be the public policy goal of this commonwealth that we would enact into law legislation which ensures that when this commonwealth licenses or relicenses drivers ? that the driver being licensed is capable of operating a motor vehicle regardless of age,” Wagner said.The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Kay Khan (D-Newton), said such a process would help get impaired drivers of any age off the road. Khan said doctors who report their patients would be immune from litigation to prevent a chilling effect on such reporti