Senate Bill sb0052c1

    Florida Senate - 2003                             CS for SB 52

    By the Committee on Transportation; and Senators Wise and Lynn





    306-1917-03

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to driver's licenses; amending

  3         s. 322.18, F.S.; requiring vision tests for

  4         certain applicants for license renewal;

  5         prohibiting those applicants from renewing by

  6         telephone or electronic means; requiring the

  7         department to study the effects of aging on

  8         driving ability; providing an effective date.

  9  

10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

11  

12         Section 1.  Effective January 1, 2004, subsection (5)

13  of section 322.18, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

14         322.18  Original applications, licenses, and renewals;

15  expiration of licenses; delinquent licenses.--

16         (5)  All renewal driver's licenses may be issued after

17  the applicant licensee has been determined to be eligible by

18  the department.

19         (a)  A licensee who is otherwise eligible for renewal

20  and who is over 79 years of age:

21         1.  Must submit to and pass a vision test administered

22  at any driver's license office; or

23         2.  If the licensee applies for an extension by mail as

24  provided in subsection (8), must submit to a vision test

25  administered by a physician licensed under chapter 458 or

26  chapter 459, or an optometrist licensed under chapter 463, or

27  an optician licensed under part I of chapter 484, must send

28  the results of that test to the department on a form obtained

29  from the department and signed by such health care

30  practitioner, and must meet vision standards that are

31  equivalent to the standards for passing the departmental

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    Florida Senate - 2003                             CS for SB 52
    306-1917-03




 1  vision test. The physician, optometrist, or optician may

 2  submit the results of a vision test by a department-approved

 3  electronic means.

 4         (b)  A licensee who is over 79 years of age may not

 5  submit an application for extension under subsection (8) by

 6  electronic or telephonic means, unless the results of a vision

 7  test have been electronically submitted in advance by the

 8  physician, optometrist, or optician.

 9         Section 2.  (1)  The Department of Highway Safety and

10  Motor Vehicles shall study the effects of aging on driving

11  ability. The purpose of the study is to develop a

12  comprehensive approach to licensing drivers.

13         (2)  Issues to be studied by the department shall

14  include the:

15         (a)  Effective and efficient identification of drivers

16  at risk of being involved in a motor vehicle accident because

17  of functional limitations that effect their driving ability;

18         (b)  Prevalence and effect of degenerative processes

19  affecting vision, mobility, cognitive functions and reaction

20  time;

21         (c)  Implementation and effect of the department's

22  vision screening requirements and examination of new

23  technologies;

24         (d)  Availability and effectiveness of remedial

25  measures such as skills training, adaptive equipment, physical

26  therapy and adjustment of driving practices that will allow

27  people to drive safely for as long as possible;

28         (e)  Availability of alternative forms of

29  transportation for people who can no longer safely drive; and

30         (f)  Effectiveness of existing public education

31  initiatives relating to at-risk drivers.

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    Florida Senate - 2003                             CS for SB 52
    306-1917-03




 1         (3)  The department shall report the results of the

 2  study to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the

 3  House of Representatives by February 1, 2004. The report shall

 4  include findings of the study and recommendations for

 5  improving the safety of at-risk drivers.

 6         (4)  The department shall appoint an advisory council

 7  to participate in the study and to advise the department on

 8  issues related to older at-risk drivers on an ongoing basis.

 9  The council shall be known as the Florida At-Risk Driver

10  Council. Members of the council shall include representatives

11  of organizations involved with issues facing older drivers

12  including state agencies, medical professionals, senior

13  citizen advocacy groups, providers of services to senior

14  citizens, and research entities.

15         Section 3.  Except as otherwise expressly provided in

16  this act, this act shall take effect upon becoming a law.

17  

18          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
19                          Senate Bill 52

20                                 

21  The CS provides if applying for a driver's license extension
    by mail, a person over the age of 79 must submit to a vision
22  test administered by a licensed physician, optometrist or
    optician who must send the results of the tests to the
23  Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) via
    electronic means. The CS further requires the DHSMV to study
24  the effects of aging on driving ability and report the
    findings and recommendation of the study to the Legislature by
25  February 1, 2004. The CS provides an effective date of January
    1, 2004.
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