Submitted by SueP on Thu, 11/05/2009 - 10:46
Posted in
I have not one, but two elderly aunts (in their 80s) who still drive, but probably should not. One of them has flexibility issues that prevent her from turning her head to adequately check for oncoming traffic at intersections. The other has very bad eye sight. I have tried talking to them, but they ignore me. They take turns driving, anyway, so at least their not both on the road at the same time. Does Massachusetts law require their doctor opthamologist to report these issues to the Registry of Motor Vehicles?
Must physicians report poor drivers in MA
At this time, Massachusetts does not have mandatory reporting laws that would require doctors to report unsafe drivers to the RMV. However, the law does place the burden on your aunts to report any health or medical issues that may effect their driving to the RMV. Also, as you know, the next time your aunt with poor vision has to renew her license, she will likely fail the vision test. I encourage you to keep talking to them about this. I'm sure they would be devastated if they injured anyone in an auto accident. Good luck.
Update on senior drivers
New laws and regulations encourage doctors to report suspected driving deficiencies to the Registry of Motor Vehicles.