House OKs eye test for senior drivers
The state House of Representatives on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a bill that would ban texting while driving, prohibit 16- and 17-year-olds from using cell phones or other devices, and force drivers 75 and older to renew their licenses in person every five years and take an eye exam.
The House voted 146-9 to approve the bill.
Rep. Joseph F. Wagner, D-Chicopee, the co-chairman of the Transportation Committee, told House members that the bill sends a message that “texting while driving will not be tolerated by motor vehicle operators in Massachusetts. It’s a strong message. It’s a message that should be sent.”
The House, mirroring a vote it took two years ago, also voted 91-66 to amend the bill to bar all drivers from holding cell phones while driving. Only hands-free technology would be allowed for all drivers under the amendment.
“It is impossible to be dialing the phone and watching the road at the same time,” said Rep. Jay R. Kaufman, D-Lexington, who sponsored the amendment.
That measure is likely to be killed in the Senate.
Wagner said that he doesn’t expect the ban on holding cell phones to be approved in the Senate, which has been opposed to such a move and blocked it two years ago. Wagner supported the ban on cell phones, saying it would make it easier for police to enforce the ban on texting.
The House bill now moves to the Senate, which is expected to approve its own version. Wagner said he believes a compromise will be approved and then shipped to the governor’s desk.
Under the bill, the elderly would need to get a vision exam every five years when they show up at a Registry to renew a license. That rule is far less onerous than proposals for regular road tests for certain elderly people.
Right now, all drivers must appear in person every 10 years to renew a license.