Malaysia mulls over health and competency tests for seniors renewing driving licence

KUALA LUMPUR – Two Malaysian men, both aged 65, were killed after their vehicle crashed into a lane divider at the Sungai Besi toll plaza at the edge of the capital city in November.

And earlier in December, a couple, aged 79 and 78, were lucky to survive after the car they were in plunged into a large drain in Tawau, a city in the state of Sabah.

These accidents have added to a roiling debate in Malaysia about its ageing population, and how health examinations and competency tests could soon be made mandatory for seniors wishing to renew their driving licence.

The chatter started with widely shared messages on social media urging elderly drivers to renew their driving licences before “physical examinations are imposed starting January 2025”.

In November, Malay-language daily Utusan Malaysia reported that the number of road accidents involving the elderly could be reduced if additional conditions are introduced for their licence renewals.

The speculation prompted an online petition on the Change.org website opposing the alleged upcoming restrictions on driving licence renewals for senior citizens, which received over 5,700 signatures in just over 10 days to Dec 27.

“Stop making the lives of senior citizens more difficult. We do not have the means to hire drivers or book Grab cars whose rates keep ever-increasing,” the petition read.

The petitioners argue that physical exams would be absurd and discriminatory. They urged the government to instead address issues such as illegal street racing by motorcyclists, poorly maintained vehicles and traffic violations, which they believe contribute more to road accidents.

“It’s discriminatory. If you look at the statistics, more accidents occur among youngsters than senior citizens,” retired civil servant Wan Jooria Hood, 67, told The Straits Times.

“Health issues are not necessarily age-related,” she added, suggesting that drivers with health conditions should voluntarily stop driving if impaired.

Malaysia’s Road Transport Department (RTD), which renews driving licences, on Dec 19 denied it would impose any restrictions on the elderly.

But RTD director-general Aedy Fadly Ramli also said that plans to introduce such conditions are at the “policy stage” at the Transport Ministry, according to The Star daily on Dec 19.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke was asked by a reporter on Nov 25 whether the government would introduce new tests for senior citizens renewing their drivers’ licences.

He said: “We need to study this report (proposing extra tests for those aged 65). We are not in a rush to set any extra conditions.”

“There will definitely be implications, so we have to consider the pros and cons of setting additional conditions,” he added.

Malaysia is slowly, but surely, turning into an ageing society.

The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) has projected on its website a significant rise in the percentage of citizens aged 65 and above: from 8.1 per cent in 2024 to 14.5 per cent by 2040. 

Compare this with figures in 2010, when those aged 65 and above accounted for just 5 per cent of the population.

With senior citizens involved in an increasing number of traffic accidents, some argue that stricter measures, such as mandatory health checks for drivers over 65, could help reduce risks.

The number of elderly drivers aged 60 and above involved in accidents rose to 12 per cent in 2022 from 8.9 per cent in 2020.

Dr Siti Zaharah Ishak, director-general of the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research, had suggested additional testing for senior citizens.

“Ageing can affect fitness and driving ability, including vision and hearing limitations, slower reaction times, joint stiffness and muscle weakness, all of which can hinder safe driving,” she was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times on Nov 25, in the same report citing the rising percentage of elderly drivers involved in accidents.

On the other side of the debate is Professor Nathan Vytialingam, dean of the Perdana University School of Occupational Therapists.

He told ST that such additional requirements would unfairly target elderly drivers, as well as impact their independence and mobility.

Acknowledging that hand and eye coordination, as well as good vision and hearing, is required for driving, he said not all older persons suffer problems affecting these abilities.

“There are many older people who are healthy and driving. They are still contributing financially for themselves. If you take that away, you are impacting their financial freedom. The burden of care would fall onto the family, children or even the state,” said Prof Vytialingam, who sits on the advisory council of the Global Coalition on Ageing, a group of global corporations working on population longevity and related issues.

Other countries have imposed different tests on elderly drivers.

In Singapore, those aged 65 years and above must undergo a medical examination once every three years to renew their licence.

In countries such as South Korea, Japan and Australia, health and competency assessments for drivers aged 65 and above are already being implemented.

In South Korea, drivers aged 75 and older must undergo cognitive ability tests and traffic safety education, while in Japan, cognitive assessments are mandatory for those aged 75 and above.