SEPANG, Nov 25 — Transport Minister Anthony Loke today welcomed suggestions to impose conditions on the elderly’s driving licence renewal, amid the surge of road accidents involving the elderly.
Nonetheless, he said the government will study the proposition first to avoid making rash decisions.
“The report’s proposal is well received, but it needs to be studied further before any decision is made by the Ministry,” he told reporters here.
Loke acknowledged that introducing additional conditions could have both positive and negative implications, underscoring the importance of carefully weighing the potential benefits and drawbacks.
“We are always careful not to cause negative implications when imposing new conditions,” he said.
Previously, Malay daily Utusan Malaysia reported that the number of road accidents involving the elderly could be reduced if the government introduced additional conditions for licence renewal for the elderly.
In response, the Road Transport Department (JPJ) was quoted saying the government has not decided whether senior citizens aged 65 and above must undergo competency and health assessments to renew their driving licences.
The Star reported its director-general Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli saying plans to introduce such conditions are still under review by the Transport Ministry and remain at the policy stage.
He explained that there are no changes for now, and senior citizens can continue renewing their licences without any additional conditions or tests.
He also noted that JPJ and the Transport Ministry are studying future measures in response to concerns about the need for such assessments.
