Question: I am 72 years old, work full-time and am in excellent health. I am physically fit, exercise daily and have excellent eyesight, hearing, motor control and reflexes. Not just for my age, but compared to younger people (I know because I am a competitive athlete). Most relevant: I am an excellent driver. Yet when I went to renew my driver’s license, the best I could get was a two-year license. All around me were people who were out of shape, not as alert, slow to react when their number was called. They could get an eight-year license — simply because they are younger. This is not right.
Answer: Kokua Line receives many complaints from fit and active senior citizens dismayed that they are limited to a two-year Hawaii driver’s license because they are 72 or older when they obtain or renew. The eight-year license is available to drivers ages 25 through 71 on date of issue.
Honolulu’s mayor asked the state Legislature to extend the duration to four years, the same as for drivers ages 17 to 24. His bills (HB 1433 and SB 2109) never got a hearing, but a separate, amended Senate bill would accomplish the same thing, and is active (SB 2679, SD 1).
Decision-making on this bill is scheduled in the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, in a videoconference scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. No verbal testimony will be accepted, but people can submit written testimony ahead of time. To read the bill, submit testimony and view decision-making, go to 808ne.ws/kulic. Or go to capitol.hawaii.gov and search for SB2679.
The original SB 2679, which would have given the 70-to-79 age group four-year licenses, would have lengthened the duration of driver’s licenses for applicants ages 72 to 79 by two years but shortened the duration for applicants 70 and 71 by four. Plus it would have required that applicants 70 and older present medical proof of mental and physical competence, and taken away the possibility of renewing by mail. The amended version strips those provisions and simply adds applicants 72 and older to those eligible for a four-year license, aligning with Honolulu County’s proposal.
A bill close to the Senate’s original version is still moving in the House. HB 1822 was amended Friday to remove the requirement for proof of physical and mental competence by applicants 70 and older, but the other provisions remain.
The state Department of Transportation said in testimony supporting the longer duration that it “has not found local data to indicate drivers 70 years or older are at higher risk of causing or being involved in crashes. Also, based on a review of an American Automobile Association study, which included information on age-based license renewals from 51 jurisdictions, only 21 of the United States jurisdictions polled have a shorter renewal cycle based on the age of the driver. Those age-based policies were generally longer than four years.”
The most recent national study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that the youngest drivers (ages 16 and 17) were by far the most likely to be in a car crash, while drivers ages 60 to 69 were the least likely to be in a crash. Drivers 70 to 79 were less likely to be in a car crash than any age group except the 60 to 69 cohort. The crash rate rose for drivers 80 and older, but was lower than the rate for drivers 29 and younger. Read more at aaafoundation.org.
Q: Forgive me for asking this every month, but are they ever going to reopen the state library?
A: Yes, on Monday at 9 a.m., according to a news release from Hawaii’s public library system. The state library at 478 S. King St. will welcome the public to browse for materials, pick up holds, seek reference and research help, use internet-connected computers for up to two 60-minute sessions per day, use printers and copiers and access free Wi-Fi, it said, noting that COVID-19 rules remain in place. That means that patrons age 12 and up must show ID and proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test issued within the previous 72 hours. People 5 and up must wear a face mask. The flagship has not been fully open to the public since March 2020.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
