To revoke an elderly driver’s license in Florida, you file a confidential Medical Referral Form with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), which reviews the driver’s fitness and can suspend or revoke the license if the person is no longer safe behind the wheel.1Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 322.221 – Department May Require Reexamination You cannot pull the license yourself. What you can do is trigger a formal government review built around medical evaluation, not punishment, with your identity protected by law.
Who Is Allowed to File
Florida law lets any physician, individual, or agency with knowledge of a driver’s mental or physical impairment report that person to the FLHSMV.2Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 322.126 – Physicians Reports of Disabilities You do not have to be a doctor. Adult children, spouses, siblings, neighbors, and law enforcement officers use the same form.
Two protections exist for the person filing. Every report is confidential and exempt from Florida’s public records law, so the driver cannot pull your name through a records request. And no civil or criminal action can be brought against anyone who files a report in good faith.3Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Report An Unsafe Driver Reports also cannot be introduced as evidence in any court proceeding.2Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 322.126 – Physicians Reports of Disabilities
What the Form Requires
The report goes on Form HSMV 72190, the Medical Referral Form, available as a PDF download from the FLHSMV website.4Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Medical Referral Form HSMV 72190 You will need the driver’s full legal name, date of birth, and current address. The driver’s license number is not listed as strictly required, but including it helps the department pull the right record.
The important part of the form is your description of what you have seen. Vague worries like “she seems too old” will not move the process forward. Specifics will. Running red lights, drifting out of the lane, getting lost on familiar routes, a dementia diagnosis, severe vision loss, confusion about the gas and brake pedals — concrete observations give the department something to act on. Your name and signature are required for the department to open a review.
Where to Send It
The signed form goes to the Bureau of Motorist Compliance in Tallahassee by mail or fax. The department does not accept email or online submissions.4Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Medical Referral Form HSMV 72190
Bureau of Motorist Compliance
Medical Review Program
Neil Kirkman Building, MS 86
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0500
Fax: (850) 617-3944.
What Happens After You File
The department does not immediately pull anyone’s license. It screens the referral first, and if the information looks questionable the department investigates further before acting.5Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Medical Conditions and Driver Safety Once the report is substantiated, the FLHSMV typically asks the driver to submit a medical report from their own physician, or in some cases from a specialist.
The driver has 45 days to return the requested documentation. Miss the deadline, and the driving privilege is revoked automatically.5Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Medical Conditions and Driver Safety If you are still on speaking terms with the driver, mention that deadline. Many people lose their license not from a failed evaluation but from ignoring the paperwork.
Once records arrive, the FLHSMV sends them to its Medical Advisory Board, a panel of physicians and specialists in conditions that affect driving.6Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 322.125 – Medical Advisory Board The Board can approve the driver, require a re-examination, require ongoing medical reports as a condition of keeping the license, or deny driving privileges outright.5Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Medical Conditions and Driver Safety Florida law requires the FLHSMV to issue its decision within 90 days of receiving all requested medical information, and the driver is notified in writing.
The Re-Examination
If a re-examination is ordered, the department sends the driver written notice at least five days in advance.1Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 322.221 – Department May Require Reexamination The exam can include vision screening, a written knowledge test, and an on-road driving test, tailored to the concerns in the referral.
Skipping the appointment is treated the same as failing it. Under Florida law, refusing or neglecting to submit to a required re-examination is itself grounds for suspension or revocation.1Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 322.221 – Department May Require Reexamination This is where families often stumble. The driver avoids the appointment hoping the issue will fade, and the license gets pulled by default.
The Three Possible Outcomes
After review and any re-examination, the department does one of three things:1Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 322.221 – Department May Require Reexamination
- Keeps the full license in place if the driver passes.
- Issues a restricted license when the driver has some limitations but can still drive safely under conditions. Florida uses coded restrictions such as corrective lenses, daylight driving only, automatic transmission only, power steering required, or adaptive equipment like hand controls.
- Suspends or revokes the license if the driver cannot demonstrate the ability to operate a vehicle safely.
The Driver’s Right to a Hearing
A suspension or revocation is not necessarily the end of the matter. Florida law requires the FLHSMV to notify the driver of the action and, if the driver requests one, provide a formal hearing within 30 days. The hearing is held in the county where the driver lives unless both sides agree on another location.7Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 322.271 – Authority of Department to Modify Revocation, Cancellation, or Suspension Order
At the hearing, the driver can argue that losing the license causes serious hardship, such as the inability to work, get to medical care, or support a family. If the department agrees, it can modify its order and issue a restricted hardship license for limited purposes like work or medical appointments.7Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 322.271 – Authority of Department to Modify Revocation, Cancellation, or Suspension Order It can also uphold the original suspension if the safety concerns outweigh the hardship.
Why Doing Nothing Is Its Own Risk
Filing protects more than the driver and the public. It can protect you. Florida follows the dangerous instrumentality doctrine, which holds vehicle owners responsible for injuries caused by anyone they let use their car, with no requirement that the owner was personally negligent.8Florida Senate. Dangerous Instrumentality Doctrine – Florida Senate Bill Analysis
The sharper exposure for families is negligent entrustment. If you own a vehicle and let an elderly relative drive it despite knowing about dementia, failing eyesight, or a pattern of dangerous driving, an injured person can sue you directly. Basic owner liability under the dangerous instrumentality doctrine is capped at $100,000 per person for bodily injury when you lend your car, but negligent entrustment claims have no cap.9Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 324.021 – Definitions The gap between those two numbers after a serious crash can be financially ruinous.
Filing the FLHSMV report creates a record that you acted on what you knew, and it hands the fitness decision to professionals rather than leaving it between you and your family member.
Having a Transportation Plan Ready
The whole process goes better when the driver has somewhere to turn after the keys come away. Losing a license is a hard loss of independence, and resistance drops when there is a real alternative in place.
Florida’s Department of Elder Affairs maintains Find a Ride Florida, a statewide directory of transportation providers across all 67 counties. Seniors enrolled in Community Care for the Elderly or services funded through the Older Americans Act may qualify for transportation help to medical appointments, community services, and essential errands.10Florida Department of Elder Affairs. Transportation Medicaid enrollees in long-term care plans also have access to non-emergency medical transportation through their plan’s designated provider.
Beyond government programs, ride-sharing services, volunteer driver programs through local Area Agencies on Aging, and faith-based organizations cover gaps in many communities. Starting those conversations before the license actually comes away makes the transition easier for everyone.