Yeah - one evening we were having dinner at a little diner down the road. Seated next to me at the counter was a nicely dressed gentleman who asked me if I would read the menu to him, as he was blind. Obviously, I did, and helped him through his dinner as needed. He started complaining when the waitress was slow in bringing him his food - he had to be sure and leave before the sun went down because he had a hard time driving in the dark....... Guess if we want to be safe, our defensive driving skills need to always be extra sharp!

Do you advocate a mandatory driver's license test after a certain age? Yes, absolutely. Written test? Yes, for basic knowledge and cognitive reasoning. Road test? Absolutely. Vision test? Absolutely. If you do, at what age should these tests begin? 70 years. My mother set a very good example for me when she turned in her license at 74. She told me that her reflexes were diminished, as was her eyesight. She was unsure if she could react properly and in a timely manner in certain situations. I thought it was a very brave and selfless decision. We live in the "country" and giving up her license was a hardship for her, but she had such valid reasons that I admired her strength. She looked for alternate means of transportations and adjusted her lifestyle to accommodate it. Last year I was getting gas and there was an elderly couple there, as well. They were in a large sedan (thank goodness), and as I was filling up the gentleman emerged from the station after paying for his gas. It took him the entire time I was filling up my tank to walk to his car, using a cane. He obviously was having difficulty walking and when he reached his car had trouble getting into the driver's seat. He started the car and moved very slowly towards the exit. By that time I had finished filling up and paying and was behind him at the exit. I watched as he proceeded to pull out into the road right in front of an oncoming car, almost causing an accident. He hadn't looked either way, and I know this because I was watching him to see what he'd do. I took his license plate number and called the local police on my cell phone. I let them know our location and that the gentleman was a hazard on the road. I asked that they at least attempt to observe him. I don't know if anything came of it but I would like to think so. I certainly sympathize with many seniors with regard to their independence, but I also think it's a selfish decision on their part not to be willing to give up their license if they aren't capable of driving safely. They're putting many people at risk. I'm 56 and I will gladly do all the above at 70 years of age. Gladly, willingly, and responsibly.

I don't know what you're applying for, nor how important it is to you, but I definitely WOULD NOT fax copies of documents like that to them. Having been the victim of a theft earlier this year, I'm extremely cautious about keeping my personal info very, very safe and private. I don't share any of that stuff with anyone these days. But if this is something you need, you may have no choice. Is there any other way to handle the transaction?

I am, obviously, in Ohio. I got m EDL last year, in April. I do have a passport, but I took EVERYTHING that was listed, including the registrars copy of our marriage license, NOT the fancy church one, as it instructs us. I had everything in a manila envelope. The lady only looked at a few things, but mainly used the passport. Then was required to have someone else come and verify her work. DON'T assume that a passport alone will be enough. My DH's was refused. And he had to have verification of most everything also. He went the next day to a different office, and they accepted his passport. I asked why it hadn't been accepted at the office I went to, and the explanation was that if anything had been keyed in wrong, they couldn't change it, that it would kick it out of the system for 24 hours. I asked both people who helped me, separately, and got the same answer. My girlfriend has been widowed twice and divorced once. She had to find all of the documentation from all of them. I do not plan to fly again, but can still be called for jury duty to a federal building, and you never know, I may have to fly again, even if I don't want to. At some point, I will probably let my passport expire, but who knows. I need to check and see when it expires!