We have been going around with it for years driving license for seniors: that the DGT is going to withdraw the license from those over 65, that they are going to reduce the renewal periods… the reality is that only the latter measure is intended, but it continues to gather dust in a drawer.
The point is that From the age of 65 the renewal period is every five years. years, a period considered too long given that the requirements for renewing the license for people over 75 years of age are the same as those required for people under that age. “It is absurd that a driver of 70, 80 or 90 years of age can go five years without renewing it,” he told Ser chain Bonifacio Martín, Secretary General of the Spanish Association of Psychotechnical Medical Centers.
In Spain there is no age limit to continue driving
The association is demanding a return to the validity periods for driving licences prior to 2009, when those under 45 had to renew their licence every 10 years, up to 65 every five years and up to 70 every two years. And if they are professional drivers, the period is reduced to three years.
Currently, the period of validity of motorcycle, car and motorbike licences, AM, A1, A2, A, B, and Driving Licences is 10 years until the age of 65 and from that age, renewal is carried out every 5 years. Last year, the proposal to shorten these periods was already put on the table at European level:
- Of 60 to 69 years: each seven years.
- Of 70 to 79 years: each five years.
- Of 80 years or older: each two years.
Graphic: DGT.
These new deadlines are a hybrid between the current ones in Spain and those that were applied before the 2009 reform. And also It is in line with the DGT’s objective with more differentiated ranges the older the age. But it is still in draft stage.
The most worrying thing is that the requirements for those over 75 to renew their driving licence are the same as those for people under that age, so the medical tests that have to be carried out are the same. And this does not look like it will change.
However, the validity of the permit depends on your age, but also on your state of health. If during the medical examination the doctor finds that you suffer from an illness or deficiency that, although it does not prevent renewal at the moment, is likely to become worse, The validity period of your permit will be shorter“Around 30,000 people are denied renewal of their driving licences every year. To this we must add the more than 320,000 restrictive conditions imposed annually on some users in order to drive,” Cadena Ser reports.
Should we take away driving licenses from senior citizens?
There are many variables in the debate about how long it is safe for a driver to continue using a car. On the one hand, there is the question of safety. In 2022, the elderly were involved in 39% of traffic accidents within urban areas.
According to data from the DGT, 15.5% of driving licences are held by people over 65 years of age: 4.1 million. In our country, driving is not a question of age but of aptitude, and this is recognised by the General Regulations for Drivers by not establishing an upper age limit for driving, although it does list the illnesses and symptoms that can keep you off the road whether you are young or not. It should be noted that on average, you have to make 15 decisions every minute when you are behind the wheel.
More data: in Spain, in 2022, 27% of those who died in traffic accidents were over 65 years old. Medication is another important factor to take into account, since most drivers take several drugs at the same time, which can be very dangerous. But there is also the social variable: automatically withdrawing the driving license from older people can aggravate their isolation and deprive them of the freedom to, for example, go shopping or to the doctor. In short, it would be taking away their autonomy.
Source: www.motorpasion.com
