Don’t trust the ‘stricter driving laws for seniors’ headlines
So you were scrolling through Facebook the other day when you saw a bizarre headline: “The DOT will institute a set of standard requirements for drivers aged 70 and up.” The post even featured a photo of President Trump and a specific date the new requirements were supposedly going into effect. The only problem? It was completely false, according to the Snopes fact-checking website. Every state has different requirements for drivers license renewal—some have stricter standards for drivers as young as 40.
Here’s the full text of the fake post that Snopes highlighted on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook: “As of July 1, 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation will institute a set of standard requirements for license renewal for drivers aged 70 and up focused on vision, cognition, and physical ability.”
The post appeared multiple times, published by different accounts. Two of the most popular were from The Licking Newsand Sheffield Stories from the Pandemic. One example read:
ALERT: New Driving Law for Seniors 70+ above. As of July 1, 2025, USDOT instituting a set of standard requirements for ‘License Renewal’ that focuses on Vision, Cognition, Physical Ability | https://t.co/ds3UFnoKZX
— Judy Graves (@JudyGra35816777) June 23, 2025
Source: Stories from the Pandemic https://t.co/PkXxI9Hc1k
The complex truth about enhanced testing for senior drivers
The truth is, there’s no such nationwide law. When Snopes analyzed the articles, it found they had been written by AI before being published. This is a common topic for fake news, likely because it affects so many people.
Ironically, some states are actually increasing the age at which senior driving tests are required. Others already have safety screening requirements starting at age 40.
For example, Illinois requires elderly drivers to complete a driving test before renewing their license. Currently, this law applies to all drivers aged 79 and older. But starting in July 2026, the cutoff will be raised to 87 years old.
Meanwhile, Maryland requires any driver aged 40 or older who wants to renew their license to take a vision test. If you fail the test, the state won’t take your license—it will simply issue a restricted one that requires you to wear corrective lenses while driving.
