A Nebraska lawmaker wants to require people older than 80 to pass a cognitive test to obtain a driver's license.

Scottsbluff Sen. John Harms says his bill is an effort to ensure safety on the road.

The Legislature's Transportation and Telecommunication's Committee will hear testimony from bill advocates and opponents on Tuesday.

The 72-year-old Harms says a cognitive test would ensure drivers don't have any impairments, such as dementia, that effect their reasoning, judgment or memory

Drivers older than age 80 make up 4.3 percent of all drivers in the state. The Nebraska Office of Highway Safety reports that more than 59,000 people older than age 80 hold Nebraska driver's licenses. The number of 80-year-old drivers and older increased by 7,489 from 2007 to 2008.