Renew a G driver’s licence: 80 years and over
Driving is independence. To be able to drive gives one freedom and independence like nothing else. Go where you want, when you want, any time, any season and in any weather. It is a convenience that gives you total freedom.
However, everyone’s capability to drive is lost with time. We age and with that we lose physical capabilities, visual acuity is lost, reflexes are diminished. Age limits us and our license to drive is limited and regulated. Once you turn 80, you will need to renew your driver’s licence every 2 years. Here are the four main steps to your license renewal.
License expiration
If your license has expired, or is about to expire, you must complete a Senior Driver Group Education Session and vision testing requirements before you can renew it.
Steps to license renewal
Step 1: receive a renewal application
Ninety days before your license expiry date, you will receive a notification from the Ontario Ministry of Transport regarding your license expiration that includes:
- a renewal application form
- a letter explaining the steps required to renew
Step 2: watch the educational video
Before attending the renewal session:
- watch the senior driver education video: https://youtu.be/mWJFDUg-CkY
- review the Official Ministry of Transportation Drivers’ Handbook, also available in print format at various retailers https://www.ontario.ca/document/official-mto-drivers-handbook
Step 3: book an appointment
Once you receive your renewal application form and letter in the mail, you must attend a Senior Driver Group Education session.
To book the appointment:
- call 1-800-396-4233 (toll free) or 416-235-3579 (Greater Toronto area)
- current Contact Centre hours of operation:
8:30 am – 5:00 pm, Monday – Friday,
provide your driver’s license number
When you call, you will get the date, time and loc ation of your session. Sessions are held at various locations across the province.
Step 4: attend a senior driver group education session
Bring to the renewal session:
- your driver’s licence
- the licence renewal application, if available
- corrective eyeglasses (or contact lenses) you use for driving as well as any used for reading
- hearing aids, if needed
At the session, you will:
- complete a vision assessment
- complete a 5-minute in-class screening exercise
Below are instructions for the screening exercise.
Instructions:
- Draw a large circle.
- Put all the numbers in to make it look like the face of a clock.
- Draw the hands of the clock to set the time at ten minutes after eleven.
- Stop when completed. The form will be collected after five minutes.
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Is it time to retire from driving?
Canada is one of the most car-dependent countries in the world, so it’s no surprise that driving is the top transit choice for many of us. But despite our attachments to automobiles, there may come a time when it’s wiser to give up driving.
Consider trying out alternative forms of transportation. You can retire from driving, or reduce your driving, on your own terms! Retiring from driving can save you money and is better for the environment.
Here are some tips if you are considering retiring from driving:
- Talk to family or friends about your plan to stop driving
- Make a list of alternatives to driving—Reach out to programs for older adults to ask if they know of services you’re unaware of.
- Consider whether living closer to transit might be helpful—If you’re already considering your housing as part of your healthy aging goals, then it’s worth evaluating transit and walkability as part of that decision.
- Gradually change your driving habits—start trying out alternatives to driving. Try out your transit system, Uber, or other available rideshare programs.
- Once you no longer have a car, you could divert some of the car costs to this bank account. You can use it to pay for taxis or rideshares or to cover your transit pass.
- Get involved with advocacy at the local level to improve alternatives to driving
References:
McMaster Optimal Aging Portal — Changing Gears: Making a Plan for Retiring from Driving lesson
https://www.mcmasteroptimalaging.org/e-learning/changing-gears-makinq-a-plan-for-retiring-from-driving.
