Keller @ Large: Too Old To Drive?

FRAMINGHAM (CBS) -- The horror show in Framingham Friday where an elderly driver crashed into an auction hall and injured eight people is an all-too-familiar sight.

In just the last few months, we've seen a senior driver take a detour into a Marblehead real estate office, and two people were hurt in May when a 93-year-old driver lost control outside a Braintree supermarket.

This has been going on for years all over the country.

Federal statistics show drivers over age 65 account for nearly 20 percent of all traffic fatalities, and the numbers have been rising.

As the baby boomers age, it's expected men and women will outlive their driving skill by six-to-10 years.

But Massachusetts remains one of the most lenient states when it comes to regulating senior driver safety, requiring only that they take an eye test when they renew their license.

The closest we've come to a crackdown was six years ago when the death of a four year old crossing a Stoughton street sparked outrage.

"Lets take action now," State Sen. Brian Joyce (D-Milton) told a legislative committee back then after emotional testimony from the child's family.

But no action was taken. Why not?

At a driver's ed class for seniors we attended awhile back, a common complaint about tighter elder driving restrictions was heard. "This looks like age discrimination," said one elderly gentleman.

And with powerful senior advocacy groups putting pressure on lawmakers to back off, you can count on seeing scenes like Framingham unfold again...and again.