Turning left near her home in Monterey just before Christmas 2009, 93-year-old Trudy Star didn't see the oncoming Toyota until it was too late. It crashed into her white Ford Fusion, and there was no question Star was at fault. Fortunately, nobody was hurt.
But when a responding police officer described the feisty, German-born woman, who has a heavy accent, as "incoherent," it raised a big red flag at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Within days, this World War II survivor with a spotless driving record learned that her license had been revoked.
"I was so mad, so frustrated, embarrassed," said Star, now 94, "because no one would listen. I was old, and they assumed I shouldn't be driving."
But a little-known DMV program helped Star get her license back. The Senior Ombudsman Program has given thousands of older motorists a second chance to keep their keys, convinced others to reduce or stop their driving, and given relatives worried about the driving skills of aging parents someone to turn to for advice.
The staff is small, just five people scattered across the state. The ombudsmen are contacted by up to 6,000 people a year and are training police, other DMV workers and doctors on how to deal with older motorists. And they have pushed ahead with changes making it easier to put restrictions on some people's licenses rather than take them away completely.
The program began five years ago, when retired DMV safety instructor
"They would say: 'I've been on this Earth for a lot of years, and nobody is giving me the time of day,' " said Fenner, who came back to the DMV to launch the program for older drivers. —‰'I'm just another body walking through the system, and I resent that. I don't think that's fair.' "
Fenner's answer to those complaints comes as a surprise and a relief to most.
"The first thing I tell them is we're not here to take you off the road," he said. "As a matter of fact, we want to keep you on the road."
The state with the most motorists in the country is approaching what Fenner calls "a driving tsunami." By the end of this decade, 1 in 5 motorists will be older than 65. There will be nearly 10 million people 85 and older by 2030, up 73 percent from today.
Drivers are required to take both written and eye tests when their licenses come up for renewal for the first time after they turn 70. A driving test can be required if those exams raise the concern of the DMV, or if a doctor believes one is necessary.
And drivers can have their licenses restricted to, for example, driving only during the day or only on city streets and not on freeways.
Deciding whether an elderly person should keep driving is a matter of safety vs. quality of life. Once a person can no longer drive, isolation and depression can set in.
"We know for a fact that quality of life, longevity of life, is adversely affected when you lose your mobility," said John Locher, another DMV ombudsman. "You lose your ability to be independent."
This issue tormented one South Bay family, in which an 85-year-old father whose license had just been renewed for five years insisted he should be able to drive, while some relatives wanted him to stop.
One relative contacted Fenner, who laid out their options. One was a restricted license, which would limit when and where he could drive. Eventually, the father was persuaded to restrict his driving to doctor appointments, grocery store trips and morning coffee with friends. If he needs to leave town, a relative takes him.
"For now, I feel comfortable with this solution," said a relative who asked not to be identified to avoid "a family battle I do not want to participate in."
"The ombudsman was helpful and beneficial," she said. "I am sure, like me, many people do not realize there is anything positive or helpful (like this) at the DMV."
Star's first experience with the DMV after her 2009 crash was completely frustrating. Her son, Mike Star, backed her up, saying his mom is not a typical older driver.
"Her skills are good," the younger Star said. "If I felt she shouldn't be driving, I'd say so."
For weeks, he drove from work in Watsonville to Monterey to take her on errands. Worried that he could not continue the almost daily treks to his mom's house, he went on the DMV website and discovered the link to the ombudsman program.
He called the DMV, and on the other end in Oakland was Veronica Conley. Mike Star put her in touch with his mother.
Conley is accustomed to getting calls from seniors in tears from frustration and confusion.
The first thing she did was just listen.
"Listening to all of what they have to say means the world to them," Conley said. "When you're able to let a person know that you will personally look into the issue they are having and do whatever you can to assist them, it's as if you have literally taken a weight from their shoulders."
Conley told Star she would have to take a driving test. She did and passed with ease.
Star is back on the road now and looking forward to her idea of a wonderful day -- a drive along the Pacific Ocean with a San Francisco Giants game on the radio and Tim Lincecum on the mound.
But the crash shook her. She no longer drives on the highway, and she only takes city streets with which she is familiar. And she looks back with appreciation on the people at the DMV who helped her.
"They were so good to me," Star said, "because they were willing to listen to what I had to say. I was not just an old woman to them."
Contact Gary Richards at mrroadshow@mercuynews.com or at 408-920-5335.
310-412-6103
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