In 2020, 8.9% of road accidents involved drivers aged 60 and over. The following year it rose to 9.2 per cent, and the following year to 12 per cent, said Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) director-general Dr Siti Zaharah Ishak. New Strait Times.

She said the increase in road accidents involving elderly drivers in the country could be curbed if additional conditions were introduced for renewing their driving licenses.

One possible solution would be to require people aged 65 and over to undergo a skills and health assessment before their permits can be renewed, she said, citing Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom as countries that do so without outright bans. elderly drivers.

Likewise, there is no age limit for driving in Malaysia (there are also no plans to introduce it), but section 30(3) of the Road Transport Act 1987 (Act 333) requires drivers to ensure that they are in good health to drive.

This provision might be enough to ensure that at-risk people do not drive, but it does not prevent healthy and capable older drivers from continuing to do so, Siti Zaharah explained.

This measure would require the cooperation of various parties, including the Department of Road Transport (JPJ), health facilities, the elderly themselves and their families. The maximum license renewal period for seniors is 10 years in Malaysia, but two or three years in other countries.

While she understands the sense of freedom that a driver’s license brings to seniors, Siti Zaharah said some of them may not realize their ability to drive safely has been compromised.

“Aging can affect physical fitness and driving ability, including vision and hearing limitations, slower reaction times, joint stiffness and muscle weakness, all of which can interfere with safe driving,” she said.

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