Some rumors just won’t die…

In July, a widely circulated article claimed that the U.S. Department of Transportation will require people age 70 and older to undergo eye exams, road tests and even yearly cognitive screenings to keep their driver license. For those aged 70-80, stories claimed, seniors will have to renew their licenses every four years; 81-86 will be every two years; and 87-plus will have to renew their license every year and take a mandatory road driving test.

The first variations of the story claimed the “law” would go into effect July 1, newer versions say Aug. 1.

None of this is true. There is no national law that mandates increased driver license regulations for senior citizens, something confirmed to AL.com earlier this year. Myth busting website Snopes also confirmed the rumor was false.

“Indeed, no reputable news outlet had reported such an announcement…” Snopes said. “Further, Snopes ran both stories through artificial-intelligence content detectors, which confirmed both were likely the products of AI software.”

“In short, the claim appeared to be made up for the purpose of gaining clicks or views online,” it added.

State regulations do vary

States do have the authority to set requirements and some do mandate seniors to undergo an eye exam before renewing their licenses.

Alabama is not among those states.

Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, District of Columbia, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Washington, West Viriginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming require vision tests for every renewal.

Other states only require vision tests once a driver reaches a certain age or at set intervals. Those include:

• Alaska – Vision test for people age 69 and older
• California – Vision test required for ever renewal for ages 70 and older
• Florida – Vision test required at every renewal for people age 80 and older
• Illinois – Vision test required at every renewal for those 75 and older
• Indian – Vision test required at every renewal for those age 75 and older
• Iowa – Vision test required at every renewal for those age 70 and older
• Louisiana – Vision test required at every renewal for those age 70 and older
• Maine – Vision test required at every renewal for those 62 and older
• Maryland – Vision test required at every renewal for those age 40 and older
• Massachusetts – Vision test required at every renewal age 75 and older
• Nebraska – Vision test required at every renewal for age 72 and older
• Nevada – Vision test required at every renewal age 71 and older
• New Jersey – Vision test required every 10 years
• New Mexico – Vision test required at every renewal age 75 and older
• Ohio – Vision test required at every renewal age 65 and older
• Oregon – Vision test required at every renewal in person age 50 and older
• South Dakota – Vision test required at every renewal age 65 and older
• Texas – Vision test required at every renewal 79 and older
• Utah – Vision test required at every renewal 65 and older
• Virginia – Vision test required at every renewal age 75 and older