4.5 Million Americans Over 85 Still Hold Driver's Licenses — Yet Almost No States Require a Road Test

More than 4.5 million Americans aged 85 and older currently hold a driver’s license. In almost every state, they can continue renewing that license without ever being required to take another practical driving test.

A new analysis by DeMayo Law Offices has highlighted what researchers describe as one of the least discussed gaps in America’s driver licensing system: once most drivers obtain a license, they are rarely required to prove they can still drive safely, regardless of age.

The findings reveal a patchwork of state rules that vary dramatically across the country.

Only two states currently require any form of mandatory road test for older drivers. Even that number is set to shrink. Illinois, one of the few states requiring practical retesting for senior motorists, is scheduled to increase its mandatory testing age from 75 to 87 in July 2026.

For millions of older Americans, that means their ability to continue driving is largely based on self-certification rather than practical assessment.

The scale of the issue is significant.

Florida alone is home to more than 1.8 million licensed drivers aged 75 and older. In Arkansas, nearly one in seven licensed drivers falls into that age category.

Yet in most states, the licensing process places few additional requirements on these motorists beyond paperwork and vision checks.

Researchers argue the issue is not about taking licenses away from older Americans. For many seniors, driving remains essential for independence, healthcare access and daily life.

Instead, the question is whether states have established appropriate safeguards to ensure drivers remain capable of operating a vehicle safely as they age.

The broader study examined licensing standards nationwide and found enormous differences not only in senior driver policies but also in how states prepare new drivers.

Written test difficulty scores ranged from just 2 out of 100 in some states to 78 out of 100 in others. Not a single one of the ten most-licensed states met every benchmark recommended by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for new driver preparation.

Taken together, researchers say the findings reveal a system with no consistent national standard.

A driver can earn a license under one state’s relatively lenient requirements and legally operate a vehicle anywhere in the country. In many cases, that same driver may never again be required to demonstrate their ability behind the wheel.

With Americans living longer than ever before and the number of older drivers continuing to rise, the issue is likely to become increasingly important in the years ahead.

The United States currently has more than 240 million licensed drivers. Yet when it comes to assessing whether those drivers remain fit to drive, the rules depend almost entirely on which side of a state border they happen to live.

Research source:

https://demayolaw.com/research/lax-drivers-license-standards/