Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The standards for and issuing of driving licences are covered by EU directives, transposed into national law by member states.

EU Directive 2006/126/EC on driving licences sets out, among other matters, minimum standards of driving fitness for all drivers, covering medical conditions that affect driving and setting out restrictions on the ability to hold a licence. Member states may, if they choose, apply higher standards in their own jurisdictions.

Under Irish law, a person aged 70 or over must provide a medical report from their GP when applying for or renewing a driving licence, regardless of health status. Depending on the report, the applicant may be granted a licence for one or three years. On consideration of the current position, I have accepted a recommendation from the Road Safety Authority, RSA, that the initial age for mandatory medical testing, where an applicant is not otherwise required to supply a medical report, should be increased from 70 to 75. This change will require amendments to the relevant regulations. The regulatory amendments required are being progressed and the estimated date of implementation is currently February 2022. However, this will depend on legal advice and the availability of drafting resources.

In Ireland all driving licence applicants must complete a self-declaration on driver fitness. Drivers aged over 70 and those with a specified condition must produce a medical report with their application. The National Office of Transport Medicine wrote to the RSA in January 2019 recommending that the requirement for routine medical certification of drivers over 70 be lifted. However, the authority noted that public perception of mandatory medical testing for older drivers is reasonably favourable, even if it is not supported by available research.

We hope that the new regulation will be in place by February 2022.

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