A series of accidents involving elderly drivers, tragically culminating in the death of a 4-year-old girl in Stoughton over the weekend, has prompted several North Shore legislators to throw their support behind a bill that would require mandatory testing at 85.

"Asking people to take a simple test to determine fitness to drive is a minor inconvenience that could, in turn, save property and lives, perhaps even their own," state Rep. Lori Ehrlich of Marblehead said.

Rep. Joyce Spiliotis of Peabody is also on board.

"I don't have a problem with that ..." she said. "I think 80's probably reasonable ..."

Rep. Brad Hill, whose district includes Manchester, said the proposal even has the support of some of his older constituents.

"The majority of the seniors I talked to (yesterday) feel that having a test is a prudent thing to do," said Hill, who made a stop Monday at the Ipswich Council on Aging.

Although bills advocating age-based driving tests have faced fierce opposition in the past and gone nowhere in the Legislature, the tide may be turning.

State Sen. Brian Joyce of Milton, whose district includes Stoughton, refiled a bill earlier this year that would require drivers 85 or older to take a vision and road test before a license renewal. Currently, licenses are renewed every five years in Massachusetts, with only a vision test required every 10 years.

In the last legislative session, Joyce's bill was sent for further study, effectively killing it, an aide said.

Senior-citizen advocates have opposed age-based testing as discriminatory and ineffective.

Beth Dugan, a gerontology professor at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, said studies show no correlation between increased road testing and a decrease in fatalities.

"The only policy that resulted in a decline in fatalities was in-person renewals," she said.

It makes more sense, she said, to focus on bad drivers and drivers with medical impairments, regardless of age. "You should target the people who pose the threats," she said.

An aide to Sen. Joyce, the sponsor of the bill, said studies show older drivers pose more of a risk.

"There actually is a lot of data indicating at age 85 the number of accidents start going up dramatically," said Jeff Perkins, the senator's chief of staff.

Some legislators are uncertain how they would vote and are concerned about the bill's fairness.

Rep. Ted Speliotis of Danvers said he is "reluctant" to require driving tests for older drivers.

"Would I vote for it? I don't know, I'm not sure ..." he said. "Every major statistical (study) shows our elderly are driving safer today than they were 10 years ago."

Speliotis called it "insulting" to test someone based solely on age.

Rep. Mary Grant of Beverly said she thinks the issue is broader than just age.

"If we decide we want to add testing, I just think we have to make sure we look at it from the point of impairment," she said. "I think it's too narrow a discussion to just be talking about a particular age."

Rep. John Keenan of Salem said he may support testing at 85, but needs more proof that there is a link between age and safe driving.

"I don't think it's unreasonable at some point to suggest that we do this, but it would be good to see if there is a recent spike (in incidents involving elderly drivers) ... or if this is an anomaly.

"I'm probably leaning toward it, but I would like to see the evidence and hear from the other side."

Keenan pointed out that concern about reckless young drivers prompted the Legislature recently to increase the required amount of driver-education class time and the hours of supervised driving.

Senate Majority Leader Fred Berry of Peabody said through a spokesman that he favors addressing the age issue and, at this point, probably would support testing beginning at age 85.

The focus on mandatory testing of elderly drivers follows a series of incidents over the past few weeks, including one on the North Shore.

On June 2, a 93-year-old Peabody man drove his car through the doors of the Danvers Wal-Mart, seriously injuring a 1-year-old girl. His driver's license was revoked.

The next day, a 73-year-old woman injured several people in Plymouth when she drove into a crowd at the Vietnam Moving Wall.

And, this past Saturday, an 89-year-old Canton woman struck and killed a 4-year-old Stoughton girl who was crossing the street with her grandfather and two siblings. The driver, who has been involved in several crashes in recent years, has been charged with motor-vehicle homicide and had her license revoked.

Sen. Joyce's bill is awaiting a hearing before the Joint Transportation Committee. No date has been set.