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CITY OF NORTH OLMSTED <br />RESOLUI'ION NO. 2002 -123 <br />BY: Council Member Nashar <br />A RESOLUTION URGING THE OHIO GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO <br />STUDY THE TRAFFIC SAFETY RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH <br />ELDERLYDRIVERS IN OHIO, AND TO CONSIDER CHANGES TO <br />THE STATE'S DRIVERS LICENSE LAWS AS THEY RELATE TO <br />DRIYERS OYER THE AGE OF 73 YEARS, AND DECLARING AN <br />EMERGENCY AS AMENDED. <br />WHEREAS, many studies have been conducted which demonstrate the increa.sed <br />traffic safety risks generally associated with elderly drivers on the nation's roads and <br />highways as a result of age-diminished vision and hearing, reduction in reaction time, and <br />the use of inedications for illnesses associated with advanced age; and <br />WHEREAS, one study, published in Injury Prevention magazine in June of this <br />year has predicted that by the year 2030 one in four fatal traffic accidents will involve <br />drivers over the age of 65 years; and <br />WHEREAS, a number of States, including the State of Illinois, after reviewing <br />such studies, have enacted statutes requiring that elderly drivers, on a more frequent basis <br />than younger drivers, submit to road tests to demonstrate their continued knowledge of <br />traffic signs and their physical and mental ability to drive safely on roads and highways, <br />and to undergo regular vision and hearing examinations to determine their continued <br />physical ability to drive safely on roads and highways; and <br />WHEREAS, the State of Ohio presently does not have any special licensing <br />requirements for elderly drivers; and <br />WHEREAS, this Council believes, in the absence of such special license <br />requirements, minimally for drivers who are over the age of 75, a serious risk to the <br />health and safety of such drivers who are residents of this City, as well as to other <br />residents of the City, exists; and <br />WHEREAS, it is the desire of this Council to encourage the State of Ohio to <br />study the well-documented traffic safety risks generally associated with elderly drivers on <br />the roads and highways of Ohio, and to address such safety risks with appropriate <br />legislation; <br />NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE <br />CITY OF NORTH OLMSTED, CUYAHOGA COUNTY, AND STATE OF OHIO: