What to do about Elderly Drivers: Part 1 of 2; Every day, we are all getting older. With better health care, life expectancy is rising. For a population that has enjoyed the personal freedom the automobile offers, a potential danger looms.(Special Report)

Byline: KEVIN A. WILSON

When an elderly driver lost control of his Buick Le Sabre, scything through crowds in a Southern California farmer's market at speeds up to 60 mph, killing 10 and injuring more than 50 others, some said it was a wake-up call.

What to do about elderly drivers isn't a new question, but it earned renewed focus after that incident. State legislatures and motor vehicle departments began the politically charged process of reevaluating licensing laws and adding special requirements. Researchers began providing guidance-learning to identify which drivers most need testing and developing ways to assess their abilities. A growing number of occupational therapists and rehabilitation specialists focused on helping elderly drivers maintain their abilities. Others sought out alternative transportation for those who gave up their keys.

But if that 2003 accident was a wake-up call-the now-90-year-old driver, George Weller, was found guilty on 10 counts of vehicular manslaughter and was sentenced last November to five years of probation and more than $100,000 in fines and restitution-the klaxon keeps sounding. Just this past January, in Shiloh, Illinois, an 84-year-old woman failed to negotiate the last turn on her route, and her '92 Chevy Cavalier crashed through a cafeteria wall of an elementary school, killing an eight-year-old boy and injuring two other children. The sad irony: She was on her way to a refresher course for elderly drivers held at a nearby senior center.

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How big a problem?

These cases generate spectacular headlines because they are atypical and frightening. They're atypical because though drivers older than 80 die in traffic accidents at a higher rate per 100,000 miles than for all other age groups except for young males-because of their frail health; their involvement in accidents doesn't rise as dramatically-these ...