EU Parliament votes on health checks for older drivers

Should older drivers take regular health tests to make sure they can still drive well? The EU Parliament is voting on this today. Transport Minister Wissing speaks out against obligations.

The EU Parliament is voting today on a reform of the EU driving license rules. Among other things, the question is whether drivers will have to have their health checked regularly in the future.

Such examinations are intended to see whether someone is still physically fit to get behind the wheel. The revision of the rules is based on a proposal from the EU Commission that was presented in March. The proposals sparked a debate about whether older people pose a risk on the road.

The number of accident deaths is increasing

The new requirements are intended to make road traffic safer and fewer people die in accidents. According to EU figures, more than 20,000 people die on the roads in the European Union every year.

The goal is to halve the number of traffic deaths by 2030. However, the development does not currently look like this – after a significant decline during the corona pandemic, the number of deaths recently rose again.

Accidents involving seniors are often more serious

Accident researchers warn of the dangers posed by older drivers. Figures from the Federal Statistical Office for 2021 show: If there were accidents involving older drivers, seniors behind the wheel were primarily to blame in 68.2 percent of the cases. Among those aged 75 or over, three out of four drivers involved in the accident were assigned the main blame for the accident.

Statistically, seniors are less likely to be involved in accidents – but this is mainly because they drive less – but these are often more serious. In terms of driving performance, seniors have a similar accident frequency “as the high-risk group of 18 to 25 year olds,” says Siegfried Brockmann, head of the insurer’s accident research.

EU states want to negotiate

The EU states are not planning any mandatory tests. They had already decided on their negotiating position last year. Once Parliament has decided on its position, negotiations on a final compromise can begin.

The health tests are only part of the proposed law. Among other things, it is also about whether accompanied driving from the age of 17 should be possible across the EU in the future.

FDP wants to block further law

Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) wants to block checks for older people. “I consider government requirements to fill out mandatory self-disclosures and issue medical reports on fitness to drive to be an enormous amount of bureaucracy,” Wissing told the “Tagesspiegel”. According to the minister, drivers themselves can best assess whether they can still drive.

The FDP recently blocked several legislative proposals at EU level, such as stricter CO2 limits for trucks or a European supply chain law. Since the federal government as a whole has to abstain if a coalition partner is against it, this is referred to in Brussels as the so-called “German vote”, because an abstention often seems like a no in the voting process.