Turning 70 in California: What Changes for Your License and Your Policy?

What actually changes at 70

The change is in how the license is renewed, not in what you are allowed to drive. The DMV's guidance for drivers 70 and over says the renewal, including the open-book eLearning course when a test is required, can be started online, and that most 70-plus drivers are eligible for eLearning. The course is pass-only and no-fail, with seven short sections, and the DMV estimates it takes 20 to 30 minutes. When you finish, you visit a DMV office to complete the application, which includes a vision test.

Your renewal notice tells you whether a knowledge test is required. The DMV says some 70-plus drivers will not need a test at all, so read the notice before preparing for anything.

The week the renewal notice arrives

1. Check the address. If you have moved, the DMV asks you to change your address online at least three days before renewing. A notice cannot reach an old address.
2. Start the online application and, if a test is required, choose the eLearning option.
3. Book an eye exam if you are due. The DMV vision standard is 20/40. If you do not meet it at the office, you will be given form DL 62 to take to an optometrist or ophthalmologist.
4. Allow a business day after paying online before going to the office, as the DMV suggests.
5. Bring your glasses or contacts if you drive with them.

If the vision test does not go smoothly

This is the part people worry about, so it is worth knowing the sequence. If you are renewing and your vision with both eyes is no worse than 20/70, the DMV issues a 60-day temporary license while you see your eye specialist. You return with the completed DL 62 and retest. If the vision test still is not passed, the DMV schedules a supplemental driving test to see whether you can compensate. A corrective lens restriction is added if you passed wearing glasses or contacts.

Within 30 days of the new license

Look at the restrictions printed on the license. The DMV lists the most common ones for senior drivers: corrective lenses, no freeway driving, an additional right-side mirror, daylight only, time-of-day limits, seating support, an area restriction, or bioptic lenses. If anything new appears, tell your insurance company, and drive within it; a restriction is a condition of your license.

If someone in the household has decided to stop driving instead, the DMV offers a no-fee Senior Citizen ID card for people 62 and older, valid for eight birthdates. That is the moment to look at the steps for when a parent stops driving rather than simply cancelling coverage.

At your next policy renewal

• Mileage. Insurance Code section 1861.02 makes annual miles the second most important factor after your driving record. If retirement or fewer errands cut your driving, give the new estimate.
• The mature driver course. Under Insurance Code section 11628.3, insurers must give an appropriate premium reduction to principal operators 55 or older who complete the DMV-approved mature driver course, retaken every three years to keep it.
• Who drives which car. If a spouse now drives less, or an adult child helps with driving, update the drivers.
• What a birthday does not do. Age itself is not among the optional rating factors California's regulation lists; years of experience and your record are. How an individual company applies its filed rates varies by insurance company.

When the renewal is done and you want to see whether your premium still fits how you drive, you can compare quotes here.