Do you consider yourself fit enough to be on the road? Do you meet the standard of peek and optimum health, eyesight and reaction time? Do you need to start getting to the gym and eating your five a day before you will be allowed behind the wheel? Well, not quite, but things are set to change.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency have announced a new proposal that would see drivers sitting a medical examination every ten years to prove they are healthy enough to be behind the wheel. It is believed that the tests would not be mandatory, however drivers could face prosecution if they were to be on the road in an unfit state.
The thinking behind the proposal would involve motorists stating every ten years whether they are fit to drive and would have the additional option of undergoing an exam in order to prove they meet new minimum physical and mental criteria.
These criteria will be decided by the agency but are thought to include eyesight and reaction times.
There is talk of details of the proposals being released in the New Year, however an official from the Department for Transport referred to the report as “speculation” at the moment. However, the department has stated that better road safety will be top of the agenda next year, after there have been increasing worries over high amounts of elderly and frail drivers on the road.
A spokesperson from the department said,
“Increasing car use, changes in the population’s health and medical advances all mean that the demands on the health and driver licensing system are very different to those of 30 years ago, when it was established.
“We are considering these issues carefully and intend to consult on how we can improve the service we offer drivers.”
