If the EU Commission has its way, Josef Pühringer will soon have to prove his fitness to drive. The retired provincial governor and now chairman of the Seniors’ Association will be 74 years old in October and would have crossed a line with that. The Commission’s proposal stipulates that the validity of driving licenses for holders who have reached the age of 70 will be limited to five years. Persistent fulfillment of the minimum requirements for physical and mental fitness is necessary for the extension. However, there should no longer be a driver’s license for life, even for younger people: the limit under 70 years is 15 years.
“It won’t work with us”
Pühringer sees this as “absolutely unfair age discrimination”. Seniors would not only drive more cautiously, they would also be able to better assess the risk in road traffic. And they are also not “speed bangers” and “inconspicuous” when drinking and driving.
The chairman of the Senior Citizens’ Association also backed up his arguments with figures: According to the Road Safety Board, in 2021 people over the age of 65 were involved in only 14.3 percent of all traffic accidents. 7.4 percent were between 65 and 75 years old, 5.6 percent were up to 85 years old and 1.3 percent were very old. “With us, this directive does not work. We don’t let the elderly be degraded,” says Pühringer.
The fact that there will be a new driver’s license guideline by autumn of this year at the latest has probably been decided. However, there are up to 1000 amendments to such directives. Pühringer announced that the Senior Citizens’ Association would also submit a statement. Because fitness to drive cannot be determined by a certain age, but depends on the general state of health, driving practice and mental fitness.
He gets support from Angelika Winzig, head of the VP delegation in the European Parliament: “Regulating the group of 70-year-olds like this is incomprehensible to me,” she says. The office of State Councilor for Infrastructure Günther Steinkellner (FP) also says that the measure is too far-reaching. Driving safety training is the better option for older people.
Source: Nachrichten
