driver's license

You can get a a state-issued non-driver ID card and not have to pass any test. I gather you can get them at the dmv. It is a good idea to have an ID card which you might need at the bank or in other situations. It will cost something but shouldn't be stressful to get. If it was me I'd give up on the driver's license for all the reasons you mention but get this just to have an official ID if needed. Might that work for you?

I agree about getting a state issued photo ID. No test required . Everyone needs an official ID. My medical procedures all require providing my official ID. (I have a license, but if you don’t drive anymore, an ID is a good idea.) I suppose to ensure my insurance matches.

In my state, the state ID is free if you are a registered voter.

You clearly would be a hazardous driver if you passed the exam, and on that basis alone, you should not participate. That means you would have to produce a birth certificate or passport to vote I think.

@dgjestson Oops! 78d8 know you can get a non-driving ID card!

@lilyann in Canada you can get a non driver ID card that can be used just as effectively as a driver’s licence. I would imagine other countries also have a similar ID card since not everyone drives.

I have never driven a vehicle so have never had a driver’s licence, but I do have an ID card and it gives me the same ID benefits as a driver’s licence would.

If a non driver ID card is available where you live, you should get that and save yourself the hassle of the driver’s licence renewal - not to mention the cost, time and safety by not driving anymore.

You do have to renew either ID if you change your address but that’s the only time, and I believe there is no cost (I can’t remember if I paid to get my ID card or to renew it when I changed my address - but even if I did pay I am sure it cost less money, not to mention time, lol).

I am 91 years old and just renewed my driver's license. But I had a very unusual experience with the Clerk. The first time I came she said my eye exam (which was on a DMV form prepared by my optometrist) clearly showed that I did not have enough eyesight to drive. She was wrong but there was nothing I could do. I went to my optometrist's office and told her what happened. She redid the form and expressly put on it the fact that I did not need glasses to drive and was okay to drive at night. Went back again. Same clerk. She took my documentation and told me to take a seat and wait for my name to be called. Turned out this was a direct lie. She was supposed to give me a number and enter it in the computer. Thankfully I had a friend with me. After about 30 minutes my friend got up and walked by the desk with all the testing clerks. She found one who was not busy and told him what was happening to me. He immediately called over a supervisor and that clerk disappeared from her desk. He gave my friend a number for me, entered it and told her I was now in the system. It did not take long for my number to be called. I went to the appropriate desk, had my vision tested by them and that was it. Then went to get photographed and was told that I would receive my new license in 3-4 weeks. In actuality I received it in 10 days. In spite of my great age, I am healthy. I do not have diseases which require me to take different medications. I do not have dementia. I am able to live independently and take care of myself. And I know very well how to drive the freeways. So in my case it was some vindictive clerk. Hope none of you ever have that happen to you.

@thisismarilynb The clerk needs to be reprimanded. Discriminatory behavior.

A number does not make anyone old.

Congrats on being healthy and enjoy the ride.

@slarson14
I believe she was when the Supervisor was apprised of what happened to me. She disappeared and another clerk took her place. I asked about filing a complaint, but that would have involved a lot of paperwork which I was not inclined to do.
So far all is okay with me but at this point I do not buy green bananas.

My dad is stooped, uses a walker, and is mostly through his 95th year. He passed his driver's test las March on his birth month. Can happen to the best of us. However, there is more to driving than mere vision. There is the all-important ability to quickly assess a situation and to react as quickly..................AND...................appropriately. My dad has had to small fender benders in the past five years, one of which was clearly a result of momentary confusion. He braked during a green light when he was first in line and the pickup behind, who was too quick to accelerate, crashed into us.

With the conditions the originator states, I would not place myself in the position of having to be denied the license. As many others have responded, you can get a state-issued ID that is perfectly legal and acceptable which does not involve driving.

As many have proven: all you have to do is drive slower. lol. My 88 yo neighbor got a ticket for driving too slow.

My aunts, who lived next to each other until they died at nearly 100 and both drove until they had their first accident at 94 and 92 respectively.

They were BOTH backing out of their driveways - the driveways were parallell and 3-5 feet apart - and they backed into each other - both had drifted - one left and one right - out of their respective driveways lololol.

And what do TWO sisters do? They both blame each other....lololol.

Awesome family story told over the last 40 years....