EU Commission proposes regular driving fitness tests for senior citizens

By Timo Kirez

GENEVA (AA) — The EU is planning to overhaul driver's license regulations, including a stipulation for senior citizens to be subject to regular driving fitness tests every five years, German media reported on Monday.

The measure, which aims to improve road safety in member countries, applies to people over the age of 70, according to the Munchner Merkur.

The goal of the reforms are to bring traffic fatalities in the EU down to zero by 2050 and to halve them from current levels by 2030.

In 2022, 20,600 people died on EU roads, an increase from both 2020 and 2021, when fewer than 20,000 people died.

Until now, regulations have varied across members of the bloc. In Germany, for example, senior citizens are not subject to regular mandatory driving tests.

Other EU countries, however, such as Greece, Spain, and Portugal, require driving fitness tests after the age of 65.

According to the European Commission's draft legislation, the reform is intended to also change the terms of driver's licenses, making them valid for 15 years throughout the EU, instead of the current 10 years.

In addition, driver's licenses are to become digital so that renewal can be handled online.