What's it going to take for New Jersey politicians to address the problem of elderly drivers? Illinois makes drivers take a road test and eye exam to renew a license starting at age 75. At 81 they must do this every two years. By 87 they must do it annually. The Garden State? Absolutely nothing.

What just happened to an 8 year old girl in Camden ought to change that. But it won't. An 84 year old driver veered suddenly onto a sidewalk where an 8 year old girl was riding her bicycle. The elderly driver struck not only the girl but also a man sitting on the steps outside his home. The girl died after being rushed to Cooper University Hospital. A man who told the Courier Post he was the dead girl's uncle described her as a happy little girl. "She had a happy face, every day. I took her to school this morning. I told her to have a good day. At 7:30 I got a call. She's dead."

No charges have yet been filed and an investigation is ongoing. Will we ever hear any follow up? Probably not. Will the politicians in Trenton care? Not with their fear of pissing off elderly voters who tend to vote at higher rates than younger voters. Will the public demand something be done? Sadly no, and sadder still in part because this happened in Camden and not Mendham.

It will take something cataclysmic with multiple deaths like the 2003 Santa Monica Farmers Market crash in California for something to be even considered here. It shouldn't come to that. We need a reasonable re-testing program now.

More from New Jersey 101.5

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM