Who decides when you're too old to drive?
Consider This from NPR
NPR
4.2 • 6.2K Ratings
🗓️ 27 March 2026
⏱️ 13 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
NPR’s transportation correspondent, Joel Rose, has been looking into those questions and found that there is no single national standard when it comes to older adults and driving. And the laws vary greatly from state to state.
Often, the decision on whether it is time to take away the keys is left to family members. And that can be difficult when the driver resists.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
This episode was produced by Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Damian Herring, Tiffany Vera <> Castro and Hannah Gluvna. It was edited by William Troop and Russell Lewis. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | In June of last year, Angela Zudrow got the phone call that every parent dreads. |
| 0:06.6 | It was from her husband, John. |
| 0:08.0 | He just said that meant to have been hit by a car. |
| 0:12.4 | First, Sudrow didn't really grasp what was happening. |
| 0:15.3 | The family lives in Green Lake, a small postcard-ready resort town in Wisconsin, |
| 0:20.2 | where kids ride their bikes all the time without a second thought. |
| 0:24.3 | He called that, and he said, you need to get here. |
| 0:28.2 | And I was like, really? Okay. Is it bad? |
| 0:32.4 | He said, yeah, yeah, it's bad. |
| 0:35.3 | I said, is he breathing? |
| 0:39.2 | And John said, I don't want to lie to you. |
| 0:42.7 | 12-year-old Emmett Zudrow was riding his bike on the sidewalk near the public library, one of his favorite places. |
| 0:49.1 | When he was accidentally run over by a minivan driven by Gene Woolley, |
| 0:53.3 | Wolley was 85 at the time. She told police in Green Lake |
| 0:57.4 | that she had confused the brake and the gas pedals, as you can hear in this body cam footage of her |
| 1:02.6 | statement released to NPR. I was just pulling into this parking place, and I put the brake on |
| 1:10.0 | and see the similar. Okay. And then I panicked and pushed it harder. |
| 1:16.2 | Woolie's lawyer called the crash a tragic accident, but declined to comment further, citing potential |
| 1:21.4 | litigation. Wully wasn't charged with the crime, though she did receive multiple citations and fines. |
| 1:28.7 | There's no single national standard when it comes to older adults in driving. |
| 1:32.9 | In a lot of states, there are no age-based testing requirements to stay on the road. |
| 1:37.7 | In Wisconsin, older drivers can go eight years without having to renew their license. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NPR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of NPR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.