On Monday we told you about a bill before the D.C. Council that would lift restrictions such as mandatory driving and written tests for District drivers over the age of 75. Now the Mayor’s office has released a statement that Mayor Adrian Fenty has temporarily lifted the driving test without waiting for action from the Council.

“We need to make sure all of our drivers are safe on the road,” said Fenty. “At the same time, we don’t want to impose undue restrictions on those who are driving safely. I applaud Councilmember Graham’s leadership on this issue, and I wanted to move the change forward more quickly while the Council acts.”

Just like the bill before the Council, the Mayor’s suspension leaves intact the vision testing requirement for drivers over the age of 70 — which means older drivers still will need to show up to the DMV in person to renew their licenses. The Council measure also contains provisions that persons over to 70 would still need to submit documentation from a physician that they are able to drive.

Photo by maxedaperture