Safety Issue Followed by Drivers, Auto Insurance Companies

New Hampshire is being eyed as a possible leader on an auto safety issue that consumers as well as auto insurance companies are following closely.

A Boston Globe report this week focuses on New Hampshire's requirement that drivers over age 75 take a road test every five years in order to keep their license. The report says that about 900 people fail the test in any given year, many of whom would have been likely to cause serious accidents.

The article also cited government statistics showing that drivers above the age of 65 were more likely than others to be involved in a crash, although that number had still fallen in recent years. "I don't think anyone can dispute the fact that our faculties get rusty as we age. And with the baby boom bubble, I think everyone’s going to start seeing the helpfulness in having this law. I think we’re ahead of the curve," Jennifer Brown, a New Hampshire state lawmaker, told the Globe.

The controversy over testing senior drivers has grown in recent months amid a series of high-profile accidents that in some cases have involved fatalities and resulted in high payouts for auto insurance companies.