It's an issue that many relate with, and even joke about at times.

But recent news on an elderly driver who plowed into a crowded street market leaves cause for concern and raises some interesting issues.

Russell Weller, 86, said he mistakenly stepped on the gas instead of the brake when his car went into a Santa Monica, Calif. street market. The resulting chaos left 10 dead and 45 people injured.

It could be argued that someone of any age could have done the same thing. But there are physical issues with elderly drivers, like Weller, that have caused the American Medical Association to release a study that gives physicians certain guidelines that will assess the skills of elderly drivers.

It's been said that teenage drivers are more reckless than elderly ones. There's some truth to that. However, it's also been proven that teenagers drive more, thus inflating those accident totals. Which means the former statement is misleading.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released a study in 1996 that said drivers 85 and older have more fatal crashes than any age group -- even higher than 16-year-olds. That rate drops a lot when looking at similar numbers for drivers in their 70s. However, it's still more than 50 percent higher when compared with drivers in their 30s, 40s and 50s.

So why are these numbers (and this issue) been given more press lately? Well, the incident in California is one reason. Plus, it's no secret the baby boomers aren't getting any younger.

Thus, the reason for the American Medical Association's report on assessing older drivers. The report said that poorer vision wasn't the reason behind more accidents. Rather, they concluded the following reasons why mishaps involving elderly drivers occur:

n Reflexes: The inability to respond quickly to dangerous situations.

n Multi-tasking ability: Being unable to do several things at once.

n Neck rotation: Not having the physical capacity to turn their heads to see what's around.

n Cognition: A reduced ability for senior drivers to perceive and process information about situations around them.

n Mixed Medication: Interaction of prescription drugs can cause everything from drowsiness to impaired judgment.

I have seen firsthand the devastation that losing one's license can be. At a rural driver's license facility in Illinois, an elderly couple lived a few miles from the county seat. I don't know how old the couple was, but I'd say they were over 80. The wife didn't have her license anymore and the husband was there to renew his. He had to take the test -- and failed. Just seeing the shock and disbelief in their eyes was truly heart-wrenching. Even more, hearing the man tell the examiner "How are we going to get to town anymore?"

I'm sure similar situation have happened at many other places across the country. How does one balance the independence of a person (in this case, a drivers license) versus the safety of that driver and others? It's an interesting question.

I don't care how old someone is. If they can pass a driver's test, they should be allowed to drive. We can kid about those who drive well under the speed limit or turn their blinker on while rounding a curve. But if someone can legally pass a driver's test (written and driving), it's not right to yank their license.

Unfortunately, the driver's test (at least the road portion) doesn't happen that often.

E.W. Lille, of Waltham, recently dropped off a letter to the editor and suggested that people of all ages should be tested.

Ms. Lille makes a great point.

Teenagers, those of mine and my parents' generation and senior citizens, should all be tested more often, specifically on the road portion of the test.

As our nation's population continues to age, this issue won't fade away. Being proactive and making people of all ages test more often will reduce fatalities on our nation's highways and put to rest any debate whether a driver of a certain age should be behind the wheel.

Dan Fields can be reached at 434-2230 or by e-mail at :dan.fields@austindailyherald.com