The 65-year-olds are returning to the desks – Why they should go through stricter driving tests

New research brings back to the fore the necessity of continuous checks on the driving skills of the elderly or even their retraining, in order to reduce traffic accidents on Europe’s roads.

The debate over whether and when an elderly person should undergo a series of specialized tests to assess their ability to safely maintain control of a car or motorbike has been heated up for good.

So, after the initiative of a French insurance company to offer the possibility of retraining drivers in modern technologies and reassessing their skills at no cost, comes the results of a new study to confirm that stricter checks on older drivers can make the roads safer.

The question that arises is at what age drivers should undergo medical and non-medical tests to ensure their ability to drive safely.

With the European Union not having managed to reach an agreement on the burning issue of older drivers, the responsibility for drawing up a policy capable of leading to the desired result of reducing traffic accidents now rests with the member states.

Of course, each country approaches this issue differently, with Italy, for example, requiring the 5-year renewal of the driver’s license from the age of 50. Once someone turns 70 years of agethe rate of renewal of diplomas is three years, while over 80 years, it is called for the reissuance of diplomas every two years.

The above procedure requires the driver to pass certain medical examinations, but not tests that could confirm that he still has the ability to drive a car safely.

This is where another factor comes into play, beyond her advanced age, as the leaps and bounds in technology seem to be enough in themselves to make an older driver’s knowledge and skills capable of fulfilling their role without seriously jeopardizing their other road users.

This makes the need to retrain older drivers even more pressing, which in turn justifies the decision of several European Union member states to revise the driving license renewal framework and tighten the criteria with which a driver will get the green light to continue moving on the roads.

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