Anderson Injury Lawyers | August 29, 2016 | Car Accidents
If you live in Texas, you’ve likely been renewing your driver’s license for years. But are there restrictions on driver’s license renewals? How old is too old to drive?
Upper Age Requirements for Texas Driver’s License
There is no upper age limit to driving in Texas. However, if you’re above the age of 79 and want to renew your license, you will be required to appear in person and pass a vision test.
Renewal procedures for older drivers in Texas:
- Mail or electronic renewal is not available to people 79 or over
- Drivers between the ages of 79 and 84 must renew their license every six years
- Drivers over the age of 85 must renew their licenses every two years
- Drivers 79 years of age and older are required to have a vision test
These special renewal procedures for older drivers can be applied in addition to the license renewal procedures that exist in all states.
This is primarily administered to deal with licensed drivers of any age who no longer meet the standards for licensure because of physical or mental infirmities.
Too Old To Drive?
If a person’s continued fitness to drive is in doubt (due to the person’s demeanor at renewal or because of a history of crashes or violations and reports by physicians or police), Texas licensing agencies may require renewal applicants to undergo physical or mental examinations or retake the standard licensing tests (vision, written, and road).
In cases of doubt, states typically have medical review boards composed of health care professionals who advise on licensing standards and on individual cases.
After reviewing a person’s fitness to drive, the Texas Department of Public Safety (TxDPS) may allow the person to retain the license or refuse to renew it
Restrictions
TxDPS may also suspend, revoke or restrict a license.
Typical restrictions can include:
- prohibited nighttime driving,
- requiring the vehicle to have additional mirrors,
- restricting driving to specified places, and
- limiting how far an older person can drive from home.
Quick Facts
Though motorists older than the age of 70 drive far less frequently than other age groups, they already account for a large proportion of fatal car accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Even more so, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Highway Loss Data Institute (IIHS-HLDI), per 100,000 people, people over 70 were responsible for 4,192 deaths in the year 2014.
Also, 27 percent of multiple-vehicle intersection crashes were caused by the 70-74 age group in 2014.
Contact Our Car Accident Law Firm in Texas
If you’ve been injured in an accident in Fort Worth or Dallas and need legal help, contact our car accident lawyers at Anderson Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation. We proudly serve Tarrant County, Dallas County, and throughout Texas.
Anderson Injury Lawyers – Fort Worth Office
1310 W El Paso St, Fort Worth, TX 76102
(817) 294-1900
Anderson Injury Lawyers – Fort Worth Office (Secondary)
6618 Fossil Bluff Dr # 108, Fort Worth, TX 76137
(817) 631-4113
Anderson Injury Lawyers – Dallas Office
408 W Eighth St Suite 202, Dallas, TX 75208
(214) 327-8000
Anderson Injury Lawyers – Dallas Office (Secondary)
6301 Gaston Ave suite 610, Dallas, TX 75214
(469) 457-4711
