Michigan lawmaker introduces new requirements for drivers 75 and older after deadly crash
A new bill introduced by Michigan Sen. Rosemary Bayer would add new requirements for elderly drivers.
The bill would require drivers over the age of 75 to complete written knowledge, vision and road tests every four years. Drivers over the age of 85 would complete the tests every year.
"It became kind of shocking to me that a then 94-year-old still had valid driving credentials and that that had never been tested. It seemed like a kind of a hole in the system that older drivers were allowed to kind of drive unchecked and not be tested for decades," said Christopher Thexton, whose wife was hit and killed by an elderly woman in October 2024.
Thexton said his wife was out running errands and was rear-ended in traffic by the 94-year-old driver. He said that when his wife got out to check the damage, the driver hit and killed her.
"This was a completely preventable tragedy," he said.
In the several months after the incident, Thexton said he reached out to Bayer's office to push for changes to Michigan laws. The current law says driver's licenses expire after four years, but there are no special requirements for elderly drivers.
"There was a lot of empathy expressed and so forth, but I didn't feel there was much momentum or interest to do something beyond offer empathy," he said.
A new bill introduced by Bayer would make the changes that Thexton said he's pushing for and would make all drivers in Michigan safer.
"I applaud them, and I express my gratitude for what they've done. It's a good and logical thing to do," he said.
CBS News Detroit reached out to AAA Michigan and AARP Michigan for comment on the new proposed legislation, but didn't hear back on Tuesday.