Debate over rules for elderly drivers continued Wednesday during the inquest into the death of Beth Kidnie. Kidnie died two years ago after being hit by a car being driven by 84-year-old Pilar Hicks.

Hicks's son insisted that more driver testing would not have prevented the accident from taking place. "It was a bad accident. Bad things happen sometimes in life," Bill Hicks said.

In fact, he said his mother had passed a driving test a month and a half before the accident. "My mother was a safe driver and her record shows that," he said. He then added that he thinks everyone, not just the elderly, should follow stricter driving guidelines.

The family doctor who treated Hicks for 15 years described her as a highly functional, completely independent woman.

Doctor Fellippe Maffe told the inquest she had no concerns about her patient's driving before the collision that killed Beth Kidnie.

Kidnie, 42, was crossing an intersection when she was hit by Hicks and dragged for almost a kilometre. The senior did not see when Kidnie slapped her hands on the hood of the car, nor did Hicks see Kidnie's body on the driveway after the car was parked. She was later convicted of criminal negligence causing death.

Pilar Hicks won't be at the inquest. Her son, who is testifying on her behalf, says he sent her out of the country to avoid the media and the strain. Since the accident, she has been under psychiatric care.

Hicks calls the accident a double tragedy. "My mother feels sad. She's a mother herself and she has grandchildren. Not a day goes by that she doesn't think of Mr. Kidnie and his family. The same goes for me."

The coroner's inquest will look more closely at driver testing and examine how age affects driving ability.

In Ontario, written driving tests and vision test are mandatory for drivers aged 80 and older. It's the only province in Canada that requires extra driving tests for elderly drivers.

Quebec, Alberta, Newfoundland, the Yukon and Northwest Territories require drivers to take medical examinations at 75 and 80 and every two years thereafter.

In British Columbia, the medical exams begin at 80.