EDITORIAL : THE EYES HAVE IT; DMV CONSIDERING NEW VISUAL TESTS FOR ALL DRIVERS.

CALIFORNIA's DMV is thinking ahead - 15 years ahead - to when the number of drivers age 70 and older will increase dramatically.

As hard as it is to accept, the older a driver becomes, the more he or she is at risk, especially in fatal crashes. For every 100,000 miles driven, the crash rate of older drivers is twice that of younger drivers, researchers say.

Once involved in a crash, older adults are more likely to be disabled or die, according to studies.

But the problem is complex, and the political muscle of seniors is powerful.

And age discrimination is a serious factor in trying to change driving laws, as we saw earlier this year when a bill by state Sen. Tom Hayden, D-Los Angeles, that would have required all drivers 75 and older to take road tests was gutted.

The issue is out of sight, but not out of the minds of researchers and eye doctors.

Over the weekend, Research to Prevent Blindness began its four-day meeting with a special symposium on the vision of older drivers.

The findings are sure to provoke strong emotions.

Eye doctors researching the controversial issue of senior drivers say states should consider adopting more stringent eye tests and more frequent driving exams to keep unsafe drivers off the road.

In fact, the DMV is about to undertake a study to verify that a series of new visual and computer tests do accurately flag drivers who need to take the road test. The new series of tests measures sensitivity to light and darkness, response time to problems and the recognition time of critical events, officials say.

Testing drivers to make sure all have clear vision and unclouded judgment is critical. The DMV acknowledges it must find ways to accurately assess physical impairments to driving without discriminating on the basis of age.

As DMV spokesman Evan Nossoff notes, ``We have 100-year-old drivers who qualify for four-year license renewals just fine, and we have teen-agers who ought be taken off the road.''

Of course, no one wants unsafe drivers - at any age - on the road, especially those who drive for a living.

Last week, a bus driven by Elliott Forrest, 76, MTA's oldest driver, hit Beatrice Krikorian, an 84-year-old Glendale woman, as she crossed the street. The MTA placed Forrest on paid administrative leave after Tuesday's incident while it is being investigated, officials said.

Currently, under state law, bus drivers or drivers with a chauffeur's license must renew their license every two years with a medical report. The state has no age limit for drivers with a chauffeur's license.

State law also requires drivers age 70 or older to come in for a visual test. They cannot renew their license by mail.

It's rare to find a state agency that's willing to tackle politically sensitive subjects. But the DMV appears ahead of the curve on making California's highways safer for everyone.

That's a welcome change for government.