MANDATORY HEALTH CHECKS FOR AGED DRIVERS SCRAPPED
Drivers aged 75 and 78 will no longer be forced to undergo medical
checks to renew their licence, under changes to come into
effect this month.
Transport Minister Troy Buswell said research suggested
older drivers were not over-represented in crash statistics.
Mr Buswell said the laws regarding elderly drivers, part of the
Road Traffic(Authorisation to Drive) Regulations 2008,
had been in place since 1975.
“We don’t want to retain outdated regulations that are
potentially based on misconceptions or stereotypes,” he said.
“Mandatory reporting of medical conditions or driving impairments
for all licence holders was introduced in 2008 and this has proven
the best method to identify drivers of all ages that are
potentially high-risk.”
Licence holders aged between 80 and 84 still need to undertake
a medical test and those aged 85 years and older still need to pass
an annual seniors’ on-road practical driving assessment.
In 2011, there were 13,817 drivers aged 75 years, and 12,655 drivers
aged 78 years.
