Post by KC on Apr 5, 2006 21:15:46 GMT -5
04/05/2006 - Drivers would have to get an eye exam or provide proof their sight is good every time they renew their license, and drivers over 80 would have to renew every four years instead of six under a bill approved Tuesday by a House panel.
The House Health Care Committee approved the bill (HB 1337) unanimously.
The measure was written and lobbied for by high school students from the Tampa area as part of a program run by Rep. Kevin Ambler, R-Lutz.
Currently, about 40 percent of drivers renew their license by Internet, phone or mail and don't have to take an eye exam. Drivers can go up to 18 years without having an eye exam.
Under the students' bill, those who don't want to renew in person could provide a doctor's or optometrist's certification that their eyesight is up to par.
"The goal of this bill is not to inhibit older drivers, but to ensure safer roads," said 16-year-old Lizzie De Santis, a junior at Tampa's Sickles High School.
The measure must still be heard by two more House panels and get through the Senate.
The House Health Care Committee approved the bill (HB 1337) unanimously.
The measure was written and lobbied for by high school students from the Tampa area as part of a program run by Rep. Kevin Ambler, R-Lutz.
Currently, about 40 percent of drivers renew their license by Internet, phone or mail and don't have to take an eye exam. Drivers can go up to 18 years without having an eye exam.
Under the students' bill, those who don't want to renew in person could provide a doctor's or optometrist's certification that their eyesight is up to par.
"The goal of this bill is not to inhibit older drivers, but to ensure safer roads," said 16-year-old Lizzie De Santis, a junior at Tampa's Sickles High School.
The measure must still be heard by two more House panels and get through the Senate.