In California, there are more than 5.5 million drivers over the age of 55—and more than 2.5 million of them are 70 or older. While the myriad rules and regulations enforced by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) apply to drivers of all ages and stages, the state imposes some special requirements and restrictions on older drivers.
California state rules are explained in more detail below, but a number of them focus on identifying and handling older drivers who may have become unsafe. Specifically, California:
- requires drivers age 70 and older to renew their licenses in person and to take both a vision test and written test when doing so
- accepts requests from family members and others for the DMV to conduct unsafe driver investigations, and
- requires doctors who diagnose patients with Alzheimer’s disease or other conditions that may make them unsafe drivers to report the diagnosis.
License Renewal Rules for Older Drivers
Special rules apply to drivers who are 70 and older who seek to renew their licenses.
Time limits: Drivers age 70 and older must renew in person every five years.
Vision test: Required at in-person renewal. DMV personnel will conduct a test free, or drivers can have an exam performed by an outside ophthalmologist or optometrist, who must complete a Report of Vision Examination and conduct the exam within six months of the renewal request.
Written test: Required at in-person renewal.
Road test: Required only if there are indications of driver impairment, based on a report by a law enforcement officer, a physician, or a family member.
Possible License Restrictions
The DMV can place restrictions or conditions on a person’s driver license after administering a driving test and discussing possible restrictions with him or her.
The most common restriction for older drivers is to require glasses or corrective contact lenses.
In California, other common requirements the DMV may impose on older drivers include:
- no freeway driving
- an additional right side mirror on a vehicle
- no nighttime driving
- time of day restrictions—for example, no driving during rush hour traffic
- supports to ensure a proper driving position
- geographic area restrictions, and
- wearing bioptic telescopic lens when driving.
How to Request an Unsafe Driver Investigation in California
Cell Phone Restriction Codes
The California DMV will accept information from the driver him or herself, courts, police, other DMVs, family members, and virtually any other source. While anonymous reports of unsafe driving will not be accepted, anyone can ask that his or her name be kept confidential, and the DMV vows to honor that confidentiality “to the fullest extent possible.”
There are two ways to request that the DMV review driving qualifications:
- Write a letter identifying the driver who is causing the concern, giving specific reasons for making the report, and mail it to the local Driver Safety Office.
- Complete a form, Request for Driver Reexamination, and mail it or take it to one of the DMV locations listed on the form.
Mandatory Reporting for Doctors
California is one of only a few states that require doctors who diagnose a patient with a disorder characterized by lapses of consciousness, Alzheimer‘s disease, or any other condition likely to impair driving to report that diagnosis to the local health department, which must forward it to the DMV, which in turn has the discretion to pull the patient’s license or require a driving test.
California Driver Improvement Programs
Drivers can improve their skills by taking an education and training class specifically developed for older drivers. Look for local course offerings called Mature Driver Improvement Programs.
How to Get a License Reinstated
For information on how to get back a license that has been suspended or revoked in California, contact one of the DMV Driver Safety Offices located throughout the state.
California Ombudsman Program for Senior Drivers
The California DMV has a Senior Ombudsman Program aimed to keep older adults driving as long as they can do so safely.
The ombudsmen, located in several offices throughout the state, can help ensure that senior drivers are treated fairly and respectfully, and consistently with laws and regulations. They can assist in individual cases, and also conduct outreach seminars to groups aimed at promoting driver safety for seniors.
DMV Senior Ombudsmen are available at the following locations:
- Sacramento, Northern California—916-657-6464
- San Francisco, Oakland—510-563-8998
- Orange, San Bernardino, San Diego—714-705-1588
- Los Angeles, Oxnard—310-412-6103
How to Get Parking Placards or License Plates for a Disabled Driver
Disabled person parking placards and license plates can be issued to drivers who have impaired mobility if a licensed physician, surgeon, physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner, or certified nurse midwife certifies the condition.
The placards and plates are also available for those who have:
- severe heart or circulatory disease
- severe lung disease
- a diagnosed disease or disorder that significantly limits the use of lower extremities
- specific visual problems, including low-vision or partial-sightedness, or
- the loss, or loss of the use, of one or both lower extremities or both hands.
To obtain a disabled placard or plate:
- Complete and sign an Application for Disabled Person Placard or Plates.
- Have a licensed physician, surgeon, chiropractor, optometrist, physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner, or certified midwife sign the Doctor’s Certification portion of the application—unless the driver has lost a lower extremity or both hands and appears in person at a local DMV office or has been previously assigned license plates for a disabled person.
- Include a fee of $6 for a parking placard for a temporary condition; permanent plates and placards are free.
- Mail the original application to the address on the form.
Learn More About California Driving Rules for Seniors
The DMV website has a wealth of information for California drivers, including links to the controlling laws and driver license handbooks in several different languages. Of special interest is the Senior Guide for Safe Driving, which includes advice on recognizing and assessing vision and cognitive impairment and conditions that may affect driving and the DMV web page dedicated to Senior Drivers.
You can find the nearest DMV office through an online search of Public Offices By Location.
Where to Find a Lawyer for Help
You can use Nolo’s Lawyer Directory to find local lawyers experienced in representing older people who need help with auto accidents or traffic tickets.
Driver's License Suspensions
When a California driver is arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, his driver's license is immediately confiscated by the police and he is served with the DMV's 'Notice of Suspension'. This one-page document (fine print on both sides) serves to (1) formally suspend the license, (2) provide a temporary driving privilege for 30 days, and (3) explain some aspects of the applicable law. Buried in this fine print on the back side is the most important legal provision: there is a right to an administrative hearing to contest the suspension and force the DMV to return the license — but only if the individual or his DUI attorney contacts the DMV's local Driver Safety Office (DSO) and formally demands a hearing WITHIN 10 CALENDAR DAYS of the arrest. If the call is not made, on the eleventh day the right to contest the suspension is lost and it will begin 30 days from the arrest regardless of any possible defenses.
This immediate suspension is for either (1) having .08% or higher blood-alcohol (.01% for drivers under 21); (2) providing a blood or urine sample when the officer believes the eventual analysis will be .08% or higher; or (3) refusing to take a chemical test. This is referred to as an administrative suspension (or sometimes 'DUI administrative per se license suspension' or 'APS' suspension), and is to be distinguished form a license suspension or restriction which may (and probably will) later occur in the criminal courts — in addition to the administrative suspension. Although this may seem to constitute 'double jeopardy' or multiple punishment, the courts in their infinite wisdom have decided that the first suspension is only an 'administrative sanction', as opposed to the second suspension in court which is a true 'punishment'.
For a more complete discussion of the administrative license suspension ('APS') resulting from a drunk driving arrest, see the California DMV and Administrative Hearing section on this website. For information about implied consent laws in California, see 'Implied Consent'.
If the driver is from another state, the officer has no right to seize the license, as that document is the property of another state. Similarly, California has no jurisdiction to suspend a driver's license issued by another state. The officer can and will, however, issue a 'Notice of Suspension' identical to that given California license holders; this acts only as a suspension of the right to drive (after 30 days) within the State of California. If there is a conviction, California (as a member of the Interstate Driver's License Compact) will notify the home state of that fact; that state will then usually suspend the license in the same way as if the person had been convicted in the home state.
The following links will provide helpful information about APS license suspensions, as well as applicable portions of the California Vehicle Code. For information about contesting the suspension, see Administrative Hearing.
California License Suspension Procedures (DMV)
A good explanation of the laws and procedures involved in California Department of Motor Vehicles DUI license suspensions, from the DUI lawyer who wrote the leading drunk driving law textbook.
The Statutory DMV License Suspension Laws
The statutory scheme for administrative California DMV license suspensions can become as complicated as the criminal punishment. Basically, a first offender with a blood-alcohol level of .08% will have his license suspended for four months; if there is a refusal to submit to chemical testing, the suspension is for one year. For drivers under 21, 'zero tolerance' laws dictate a one-year suspension for blood-alcohol levels over .01%. Second offenders with over-.08% levels receive a one-year suspension (two years if a refusal).
Administrative Hearings
An attorney's closer look at the DMV's license suspension hearing procedures.
Drivers Under 21
California's 'Zero Tolerance' license suspension statutes applying to under-21 drivers arrested for DUI.
The California Vehicle Code
The California Vehicle Code is a rulebook containing all traffic laws. The California Department of Motor Vehicles sells it, but you can get this nearly 1000-page reference for free online.
The California Vehicle Code covers everything to do with the rules of the roads and driving, including:
- Registration and titling of vehicles.
- Anti-theft laws.
- Driver's license procedures and processes.
- Financial responsibility and car insurance.
- Rules of the road.
- Towing and loading rules and regulations.
- Transporting hazardous materials.
- Off-highway/off-road vehicles.
- Bicycle laws and rules.
- Safety regulations.
All of the laws, including those just recently passed, are included and described in the California motor vehicle code.
Other Laws in the CA Motor Vehicle Code
The California Vehicle Code also contains all the laws about motor vehicles themselves, including boats and motorcycles. You'll find information about equipment/mechanical regulations, licensing/age requirements, and registration/titling procedures.
You'll also find the laws covering automotive dealers, farm vehicles, lemon laws, odometer reporting rules, required equipment, and more. If you are thinking about buying a new vehicle or have bought a new vehicle that has turned out defective, reading the California vehicle codes can help you better understand your rights and protections, and the CA lemon law and other related legislation.
Why You Might Need the Vehicle Code
You might need to read the exact wording of a law if you're trying to settle with a car insurance company over a minor traffic accident, or if you have been ticketed and plan to fight it in court.
Seeing the laws spelled out helps make more sense of a traffic violation, even if you are planning to pay the fine. If you need to read the laws regarding a specific infraction, just look it up according to the code numbers referenced on your ticket.
Reading the exact phrasing of the motor vehicle code can help you understand the specific circumstances of your traffic violations and how you may avoiding committing the same infraction in the future.
If you need help fighting your ticket or legal advice, you should consider contacting a lawyer.
Check Your CA Driver's License Status
Whenever you need or want to check the status of your California driver's license, you can order a driving record report. This record will spell out if your driver's license is currently valid. Should your CA driver's license be revoked or suspended, the report will indicate that according to what's on record at the California DMV. This report will also show points held against your driver's license and, in some cases, information on any accidents you have had.
It's important to remember that accumulating too many minor traffic violations and committing certain major violations can lead to points on your driving record. Too many points can result in a driver's license suspension, California DMV fees, court fines/penalties, and driver improvement requirements.
Trophy bass 2 demo. For more information on topics related to the California motor vehicle code, traffic violations, license suspensions, and traffic school, please visit our pages on:
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Now with that info.. I am a Lieutenant with a Sheriff's Office in Northern Ca and have worked here for 25 years. I like to think I am proficient on the laws regarding driver's licenses. So I am updating the policy for our Mobile Command Vehicle, a Renegade Command build on a Freightliner frame. 32 feet long, air brakes and GVWR of 33,000 lbs. When it was built 5 years ago, they included a small kitchen and a very small bathroom so it could be classified as a motorcoach so only a class C licence would be needed to drive it. The rest of the rig is all business and has no resemblance to an RV. In short, while at the local DMV researching what license is actually required (Per DMV and Valley Division CHP Commercial Unit, Class B Commercial is required based on the GVWR) I discovered that any 5th wheel trailer with a GVWR of 10,000 lbs to 15,000 lbs requires a fifth-wheel recreational trailer endorsement and anything with a GVWR over 15,000 lbs requires a class A non-commercial license. They advised that until recently CHP nor DMV have been putting much effort into enforcing this. Working for a Sheriff's Office, we do enforce the basic traffic laws but the more detailed issues such as this are seldom dealt with. So what a shocker, I have been driving without the right endorsement for years when I had the Cougar behind me and now when pulling my new rig, I am driving out of class, a big no no. To be legal I have to do the following (cut and pasted from DMV website):
Complete an application for a driver license (DL 44).
Pay the application fee.
Submit a Health Questionnaire (DL 546) dated not more than two years prior to the date of your application.
Pass the basic Class C law test, unless you renewed your Class C license within the past 12 months.
Pass the Recreational Vehicles and Noncommercial Class A Trailers law test.
Pass a vision test.
Pass a pre-trip inspection test.
Pass the skills test.
Pass a driving test while towing the type of vehicle you wish to be licensed for.
I was able to stay and submit the application, take (and pass) the Class C, Class A Non Commercial, and Motorcycle tests (still not sure why I had to retake the M1 again), fill out the medical questionnaire (at least I didn't need a physical), take the vision test, and take a new picture. Now I feel like a 15 year old again as I have a permit that requires me to have a Class A licensed driver in the passenger seat if I pull the trailer. I was able to pull some strings for the pre-trip inspection and can go for the skills test and driving test any morning without an appointment, which never happens at a California DMV. My plan is to do this on Monday morning. The trick is I need a passenger with a Class A to go with me... Hopefully all goes well..I will update.
Obviously there are more consequences (career wise) for me than the average Joe for driving out of class such as a ticket, park the ride, or even have it towed if you encounter an officer having a bad day. God help you if you are the cause of an accident. From what I have read, many in the forums choose to drive overweight but I haven't seen any posts regarding the license class requirements even though almost all the posts talk about weights considerably over 10,000 lbs GVWR and 15,000 GVWR but I have yet to dig through all the posts. I know some states are less restrictive than CA. We will be driving to Texas in December so I guess I'll have some more researching to do.. anyone know the rule/laws for Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas?
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