Forget the politics, seniors need to be retested

When my 92-year-old father was alive, he drove everywhere and it scared the hell out of my sister and me. We knew that no matter how hard we tried, there was no way he was giving up his drivers license. His license was his independence that kept him active and, I believe, alive. We also knew that there was nothing we could do legally to stop him. It's time we change that.

Another senior died behind the wheel when he crossed into oncoming traffic and hit another car. Not only is driver Raymond Gillick dead, but the person he hit, Tanika Pearson, who fortunately only sustained minor injuries, has to live with it the rest of her life.

What we need is for New Jersey to become the 34th state to require mandatory testing for seniors. Even the seniors say it. The test can be given at the doctor's office at the time of a physical and a note can be presented at renewal or enclosed with the application if done by mail.

The biggest argument against testing is that seniors will wield their voting power against anyone who tries to pass it. Despite that, someone needs to step up. Now that seniors have longer life expectations, and are working longer, it's more important than ever. We have enough to deal with driving in New Jersey without having to worry about people on the road who really shouldn't be there. There are some ways to prevent accidents in New Jersey. Retesting seniors is definitely one of them.

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