Verna Montel is just like anybody else. And, like all of us, she has to do the rather mundane, but necessary, chore of renewing her driver's license.

Unlike the rest of us, however, Montel, 98, of Atwood, has had to renew hers many more times.

"I really just want my driver's license so I can drive up to the post office," she said Wednesday at the Warsaw license branch.

"I really don't drive that much anymore. I haven't driven at all since February," Montel added. "But my nephew is going to Florida, so I wanted to make sure my license was up to date before he left, so I can make sure I can get to the post office."

Montel said she doesn't see getting her license renewed as being a very big deal. She's a very safe driver and always has been.

"I've been driving since 1920, and I've only had one accident," she said. "I was going to a wedding in North Webster in the 1950s, I think, and hit some ice and went through a fence and into a field.

"But all I had to do was drive back onto the road, and no one was hurt. And that's the only time I've ever had an accident," Montel said.

According to Alvin Hayes, director of public relations for the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Montel is a member of one of the fastest growing groups of drivers in Indiana - those 70 years old and older.

"There are 330,000 drivers over the age of 70 in Indiana and that number is growing rather rapidly," he said. "People are living longer and healthier lives."

Hayes said that while eyesight and reflexes may deteriorate to a degree with age, there's no reason seniors can't continue to drive safely.

"They may have to adapt their driving habits somewhat - drive shorter distances or not drive at night," he said.

The bureau has even changed its policy concerning older drivers, recognizing they are as safe as any other drivers.

"The department did away with the requirement of a driving test when drivers over 70 renew their licenses," he said. [[In-content Ad]]