Utah House members this week approved Senate Bill 34, a law designed to make it easier to get bad drivers off the road, and sped it along to Gov. Jon Huntsman for his signature.
Call it a squeal bill. The measure allows persons who notify the state Driver License Division of chronically bad drivers to do so confidentially, making it possible for Magoo's friends and family to rat him out without being written out of his will.
If they receive a report, state officials will summon the driver in question, and require him or her to submit to medical and/or skills tests in order to retain a driver license. Persons found to have made false complaints with "the intent to annoy, intimidate or harass" a license holder could be charged with a misdemeanor.
Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, sponsored the measure, which is designed with elderly drivers in mind.
We're sure Christensen and his colleagues have the best of intentions. Their goal is to remove from the road drivers who, due to "physical, mental or emotional impairments," no longer belong behind the wheel. They want to make the highways safer for all of us.
And, knowing how difficult it is for family members to confront an elderly relative and take away their keys, they want to make it easy to do the right thing.
Trouble is, Magoo won't take it lying down. He'll point fingers, and cast a wide net of suspicion over friends and family members. Best-case scenario: Thanksgiving dinner is going to be very uncomfortable. Worst-case: a family feud.
Plus, the threat of a fine and a little jail time won't necessarily stop the false reports. Proving that a report was made with malicious intent will not be an easy thing to do.
Requiring all drivers over a certain age - let's say 70 or 75 - to be re-tested periodically would be a better way to make our highways safer. The AARP would raise a fuss, that's for sure. But no one can deny that skills, reflexes and eyesight diminish with time.
Huntsman should veto the bill, and ask for revised legislation. Periodically retesting all elderly drivers, not just those with caring and concerned relatives, would be a better, safer bet.
