86-Year-Old Paul Pelosi Faces DMV Recertification After Hit-and-Run

When an 86-year-old hits a parked car and drives away without stopping, the aftermath typically involves police reports and apologies. But in the case of Paul Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi’s husband, there’s a much bigger consequence waiting: the California DMV might decide whether he gets to keep his license at all.

Here’s what happened: Paul struck a parked vehicle on Friday in Napa County and continued driving. When deputies caught up with him, he explained that he thought he’d hit something but wasn’t sure what it was, so he kept going. He was completely sober—investigators confirmed alcohol wasn’t a factor. He’s since apologized to the vehicle’s owner and said he’d cover the damage.

But the Napa County Sheriff’s Office saw something troubling enough to take action. A deputy submitted a DMV recertification exam request, which is standard procedure when authorities question whether a driver is still safe behind the wheel. This isn’t just about Paul’s age—officials made clear the referral was based on what deputies believed the public safety situation warranted after the crash.

Here’s where it gets serious: if the DMV requires Paul to take the recertification test and he fails any part of it—whether that’s a skills evaluation, a knowledge check on traffic laws, or a vision test—his California driver’s license could be revoked. That’s not a slap on the wrist. That’s losing the privilege to drive.

The hit-and-run investigation is still ongoing, and the spotlight now shifts to what happens at the DMV. Whether Paul Pelosi stays on the road depends entirely on how he performs on those tests. For an 86-year-old, the stakes of a routine evaluation just got very real.