It is a debate that is revived with every traffic accident involving an elderly person: should we end the driving license for life?
Some of our European neighbors already require a medical examination from a certain age and the measure could soon be applied in France with the revision of the European permit directive dating back to 1986. Decrypted.
• Why end the lifetime license?
Europe definitively wants to put an end to road deaths, with the goal of 0 deaths set for 2050. The end of the lifetime permit is, therefore, one of the measures planned, knowing that this would also allow a diversity of situations in Europe to be harmonized.
While France, Germany and even Poland still have a lifetime license, many countries have already imposed restrictions.
In the Netherlands, from the age of 75, drivers must undergo a medical examination every 5 years. It is from 70 years old in Denmark and Finland, 65 years old in Spain, Greece and the Czech Republic.
Italy, for its part, requires this medical examination from the age of 50. But it is in Portugal where we find the strictest rules, with controls on the ability to drive at various stages of life: from the age of 40, then at 50, 65 and 75 years, the age from which must be examined every two years.
Finally, other countries require a periodic examination without age conditions: in Belgium, renewal of the license every ten years must be accompanied by a certificate of fitness to drive issued by a doctor. This is also the case in Romania, Hungary, Latvia and Lithuania.
• What is the timeline for ending the lifetime license?
Adopted by the European Commission’s Transport Committee last December, the revised European directive must now be examined by Parliament, with a debate scheduled for February 27, followed by a vote the next day, February 28. , as they told us. from MEP Karima Delli, who leads this project.
“Then the text will have to be negotiated with the Council to reach the final text of the European directive,” they tell us.
Once the European directive is adopted, Member States must transpose it into national legislation within a “reasonable” time.
Karima Delli’s team plans to implement this measure between now and 2026-2027.
A relatively short period if we compare it with another “recent” directive: the application of the technical inspection of two wheels was adopted in 2014 and will not be applied until this year in France, that is, ten years later.
• Frequency, “control points”, cost… What form of medical examination?
Several issues will have to be resolved during discussions at European level and then when transposed into national legislation.
In France, for example, a medical examination could be carried out every 15 years, which corresponds to the administrative renewal date for licenses in “bank card” format issued since 2013. A major change from licenses on pink paper, which in any case should disappear in 2033.
But what will be the checkpoints during this driving skills check?
“In the text, it is recommended in the annex to check at least vision, hearing and reflexes,” says the Karima Delli team, covered in whole or in part by medical insurance.
And who will guarantee this control? In Spain the visit is carried out, for example, in specialized centers. In Italy, it is the driving schools that guarantee this mission.
In France, we can give the example of professions such as taxi, bus or heavy vehicle drivers, who must periodically undergo medical examinations with a doctor authorized by the prefecture: every 5 years, then every 2 years, starting at the age of 60. and every year. from 76 years old.
Drivers’ associations mobilized against the end of the lifetime license
Published in mid-December, the petition published online by the Drivers’ Defense League association against this European project has already collected more than 400,000 signatures. “This is a fairly huge figure for our association, which shows that it is a real social problem,” emphasizes Alexandra Legendre, spokesperson for the drivers’ defense league. “We are looking at the problem the other way around: we should first offer mobility solutions to all older people beyond the individual car, instead of already thinking about banning what often remains the only available option for getting around, especially in rural areas “, he says. . Switching to solutions such as cycling or driving without a license could also create new dangers, adds Alexandra Legendre.
The same story for 40 million motorists. The association also speaks out against the idea of ”putting an expiration date on each user’s driving license”, pointing out “potentially disastrous consequences for users who would be arbitrarily deprived of their right to drive.”
Source: BFM TV
