How to Request a Driver Safety Review in Kansas and Missouri

You have already tried the gentle way. Maybe you have had the talk more than once. Maybe you have asked the doctor to step in. And your parent still gets behind the wheel, and your stomach drops every time they pull out of the driveway.

If that is where you are, this page is for you. Both Kansas and Missouri give families a formal way to ask the state to check whether a loved one is still safe to drive. It is not a punishment. It is a path, and you do not have to walk it alone.

One word before you start. A formal review is usually a last step, not a first one. If you have not yet had the conversation, or brought in your parent's doctor, start there. We wrote a companion piece on how to open that talk with love instead of dread: Talking to an Aging Parent About Giving Up Driving. Come back here if the conversation has run its course and your parent still is not safe.

What a driver safety review actually does

Here is the part that brings most families relief. When you ask for a review, you are not the one taking the keys. You are asking a neutral third party to look at the facts.

The state contacts your parent and asks them to complete medical and vision forms, usually filled out by their own doctor. Depending on what those forms show, your parent may be asked to take a vision test, a written test, or a driving test. The state, not you, decides what happens next.

That shift matters. It moves the moment from "my child took my license" to "the state asked me to renew my safety." You get to go back to being the son or the daughter.

In Kansas

Kansas keeps this fairly straightforward, and you do not have to be anyone official to start it.

Who can ask. The Kansas Division of Vehicles accepts a "Letter of Concern" from family members, doctors, law enforcement, and concerned citizens. As an adult child, you qualify.

What your letter needs. It must state your specific concern about your parent's ability to drive safely. It must include your parent's name and their date of birth or Kansas driver's license number. And you must sign it.

How to file it. Kansas lets you submit the Letter of Concern online, so you never have to mail anything or leave your kitchen table. File it here: Submit a Kansas Letter of Concern online. You can read the full process on the state's driver review page: Kansas Division of Vehicles driver review FAQ.

What happens next. The state sends your parent a letter and a set of medical and vision forms. Those forms are due back within thirty days and must be completed by a doctor who knows your parent's history. A vision check, a driving re-exam, or a review by the state's medical board may follow.

In Missouri

Missouri's process is a little more formal, and one detail catches families off guard, so read this part closely.

Who can ask. Missouri limits who may file. Immediate family members and certain licensed professionals, such as doctors, may report a driver. You also have to base your report on something you have personally seen, not on secondhand worry.

The detail that trips people up. In Missouri, "immediate family" generally does not include in-laws. So if the person you are worried about is a parent-in-law, the report may need to come from their own child rather than from you. The form spells out exactly who qualifies, so check it before you send.

The form. You will use the Driver Condition Report, known as Form 4319: Download Missouri Form 4319. Missouri also publishes a plain-language brochure that walks through the whole process: How to Report an Unsafe Driver.

How to file it. Print the form, complete it, and send it to the Missouri Department of Revenue, Driver License Bureau, in Jefferson City. You can mail, fax, or email it. The current address and contact details are printed right on the form.

One reassurance. You do have to sign your name, but Missouri keeps your report confidential. A report made in good faith is also protected, so you do not have to fear a lawsuit for doing the right thing.

What happens next. The state reviews the report and may ask your parent to complete a medical exam or a driving test. Your parent is notified by mail and has the right to appeal.

What both states share

However different the paperwork looks, the heart of it is the same in Kansas and Missouri.

A neutral authority, not you, makes the final call. Both processes move on a roughly thirty-day clock. Both keep the focus where it belongs: on whether your loved one, and everyone sharing the road with them, is safe.

You are not the bad guy

Asking for a review can feel like betrayal. It is the opposite. It is what love looks like when someone you are responsible for cannot see the danger themselves.

You are not choosing to hurt your parent. You are choosing to protect them, and the family down the street, and the child in the crosswalk. That is a hard thing to carry, and it is a good thing to do.

And remember, taking the keys is only half the job. The other half is making sure your parent can still get to church, the doctor, and a friend's kitchen table. When you are ready, our transportation and in-home help across Kansas and Missouri can point you to real options nearby.

You're not alone.

State forms, addresses, and rules can change without much notice. The official links on this page always carry the current version, so use them rather than a copy you saved months ago. This page is guidance, not legal advice. For a complicated situation, an elder law attorney can help you decide the next step.