Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing continues to oppose mandatory driving fitness checks for senior citizens. “I don’t want compulsory fitness tests for drivers over 70, and I’m confident that there won’t be a majority for this in the EU,” the FDP politician told the newspapers of the Funke media group (Monday). “I object to the fact that individuals are increasingly made into objects, have to undergo compulsory examinations and go about their everyday lives according to a catalog of rules.”
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The background is an ongoing debate about the EU Commission’s plans. The Brussels authority had already presented this at the beginning of March. One of the goals is to make roads in the EU safer. In this regard, new rules for seniors are also planned. According to the Commission, this means that people over 70 should either complete a self-assessment of their ability to drive or undergo a medical examination every five years. “The decision whether to self-assess or check with a doctor rests with the member states,” writes the Commission.
Wissing had already made critical comments about this several times in the past. He also now reiterated: “I trust seniors to deal with their health without government regulations and bureaucratic control. And it is also a responsibility of those around them, children, relatives and neighbors, to talk to old people about driving speak.”
