New senior driving rule April 1

Multiple fact‑checks concluded there is no single, new federal DOT mandate requiring vision, cognitive or road tests for all drivers aged 70+ and flagged the viral stories as AI‑generated or fabricated misinformation. (yahoo.com) Driver licensing and renewal rules are set and enforced by state motor‑vehicle agencies while federal agencies set vehicle and highway safety standards rather than issuing or dictating state license renewal procedures. (fmcsa.dot.gov) Scale of exposure: the CDC reported nearly 52 million licensed drivers aged 65 and older in 2022, and the Federal Highway Administration’s DL‑20 table lists 14,297,484 licensed drivers aged 70–74 and 10,333,270 aged 75–79 in the most recent breakdown. (cdc.gov) State example: Illinois’ HB1226, signed into law, raises the age for mandatory behind‑the‑wheel testing to 87 and goes into effect July 1, 2026, while keeping in‑person renewals and vision checks for older cohorts. (news.wttw.com) Safety and insurance signals: IIHS notes drivers 70+ have higher fatal‑crash rates per mile and recorded 5,502 deaths in 2023 for that age group, and insurer‑market analyses show license suspensions or restrictions can materially raise premiums (WalletHub estimated an average 101% increase after suspension). (iihs.org) Operational reality: several states already require in‑person renewals and onsite vision screening—California’s DMV maintains an office visit and vision test requirement for drivers 70+ and Minnesota DVS conducts vision testing at renewal within its four‑year renewal cycle—creating discrete local points of contact tied to licensing. (dmv.ca.gov)