Call to restrict driving licence to elderly a personal opinion, says IGP
Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said the proposal was made internally and has yet to be discussed in detail.
PETALING JAYA: The call by the federal traffic police chief for the issuance of driving licence to senior citizens to be restricted is merely a personal opinion, the nation’s top cop said.
“The proposal was made internally and has yet to be discussed in detail,” Inspector-General of Police Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said in a statement.
He went on to say that any new policy would only be implemented after it is reviewed by all the relevant stakeholders.
Yesterday, Bukit Aman traffic police chief Azisman Alias called for driving licences issued to senior citizens to be restricted to reduce the number of accidents on the road.
Such accidents involving senior citizens he said were due to drivers suffering from Alzheimer’s and eye problems.
Azisman also said it was “not suitable” for a 70-year-old senior citizen to renew his or her licence for a five-year period due to the age factor.
He had also proposed for the government to introduce an assessment system for senior citizens who want to renew their driving licences.
Azisman said the suggestion to the transport ministry and the road transport department (JPJ) was based on a number of cases involving senior citizens who were caught driving against the flow of traffic and committing other offences at traffic lights and road junctions.
Police, he explained, had observed a rising number of cases of driving against the flow involving the elderly aged 60 and above, some of whom were suffering from senility.
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According to the federal traffic investigation and enforcement department, a total of 804 road deaths last year, or 17% of the overall number, involved drivers and bikers aged above 61.