Are seniors still fit to drive after a certain age? In the future, there could be a regular test for 70- or even 50-year-olds. This is already common in neighbouring countries.
Munich – The driving ability of seniors has been discussed for some time. In March, new EU-wide requirements for driving licences were proposed. Will seniors soon have to take a driving test every few years?
Lower Saxony tests the fitness of more than 10,500 senior citizens to drive
Anyone who is at least 17 years old is allowed to drive a car in Germany. With increasing age, the ability to drive supposedly decreases more and more. The EU Commission therefore presented proposals for the "modernisation of driving licence regulations". They are calling for EU-wide directives and the introduction of a common driving licence. Although older drivers have a statistically lower involvement in accidents, the need for a roadworthiness test is often discussed. The EU proposes driving fitness tests at least every five years for people aged 70 and over.
The driving ability of seniors will soon be regularly checked throughout the EU. © Westend61/Imago (symbolic image)
In order to get to the bottom of this, a training course was developed in Lower Saxony. This is intended to check whether 80- or even 90-year-olds pose a danger at the wheel. Voluntary training courses are offered from the age of 65, which last around five hours. More than 10,500 people are said to have carried out the training so far. This includes an introduction by the police, a safety training course on a training ground and a ride with a driving instructor. The program has been in existence since 2015 and has also established itself in other federal states such as Bavaria.
Driving ability of seniors – will 70-year-olds soon have to be tested throughout the EU?
According to course instructor Claus Kunath, there is still some catching up to do, especially when it comes to braking: "The seniors often don't press the brake pedal hard enough and then don't get into the control range of ABS." Targeted exercises are intended in particular to compensate for age-related deficits when driving. "It's about survival! Imagine a child suddenly running out into the street," Kunath motivates the participants. It is considered unlikely that such driving fitness tests could become mandatory throughout the EU.
In these countries, among others, there are already rules for drivers aged 50 and over:
- Switzerland: All drivers aged 75 and over are obliged to undergo a medical check-up (test of driving ability) with their family doctor every two years.
- Netherlands: There is also a medical certificate requirement, but it is only checked every five years whether you are still fit enough to drive a car.
- Italy: All people under the age of 50 must undergo a check-up every ten years. From the age of 50, the intervals become shorter. Then you have to renew your driver's license every five years and every three years from the age of 70.
- Spain: The health test is mandatory there from the age of 65, every five years.
- Portugal: A test is ordered from the age of 50, initially every five years. From 70, the period is two years.
The ADAC, for example, is critical of the required changes: "The EU proposal for driving aptitude tests from the age of 70 misses the point of reality and cannot stay that way," said ADAC Transport President Gerhard Hillebrand. However, the reasons for the EU's demands are clear: "The number of traffic fatalities and serious injuries is to be halved by 2030." Around 20,000 people die on the roads of the EU every year – especially pedestrians and cyclists are among the victims. Tightening the rules is not only planned for elderly citizens, as drivers under 30 are involved in two out of five fatal collisions.
