Wissing continues to oppose mandatory driver's license tests for senior citizens
Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing continues to oppose mandatory fitness to drive tests for senior citizens. "I do not want mandatory fitness tests for drivers over 70, and I am confident that there will not be a majority for this in the EU either," the FDP politician told the Funke Mediengruppe newspapers (Monday). "I am opposed to individuals being turned more and more into objects, having to undergo compulsory examinations and organize their everyday lives according to a catalog of regulations."
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The background to this is an ongoing debate about the EU Commission's plans. The Brussels authority had already presented these at the beginning of March. One of the aims is to make roads in the EU safer. New rules for senior citizens are also planned in this regard. According to the Commission, the aim is for people over 70 to either complete a self-assessment of their fitness to drive or undergo a medical examination every five years. "It is up to the Member States to decide whether to carry out a self-assessment or a medical check," writes the Commission.
Wissing has already expressed criticism of this on several occasions in the past. He has now reiterated: "I trust senior citizens to take charge of their health without government regulations and bureaucratic control. And it is also the responsibility of those around them, children, relatives and neighbors, to talk to older people about driving."
The EU Commission's plans for road safety include new rules for senior citizens, proposing that individuals over 70 complete a self-assessment or undergo a medical examination every five years. However, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing, oppose to this, stating, "I do not want traffic regulations to turn senior citizens into objects subject to mandatory fitness tests and bureaucratic control."
Source: www.dpa.com
