Government mulls lowering license renewal age to 70 for senior drivers

Taipei, May 20 (CNA) The authorities on Tuesday proposed imposing stricter license renewal rules on senior drivers, lowering the age threshold from 75 to 70, after a 78-year-old driver slammed into pedestrians in New Taipei the previous day, killing three and injuring 12.

The crash occurred around 4 p.m. Monday, when an elderly driver surnamed Yu (余) sped into pedestrians near Bei Da Elementary School in New Taipei's Sanxia District, with the cause still being investigated.

The three deceased were two female junior high school students and a woman in her 40s. Among the injured, four were adults, including Yu, seven junior high school students and one preschool child.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Transportation Minister Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) announced three proposed measures to improve the license renewal management system for elderly drivers.

One of the measure is to lower the age threshold from 75 to 70, subject to renewal every three years, according to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC).

The ministry also proposed more assessments for license renewal, including on-road safety training for drivers with a history of traffic accidents, as well as hazard perception evaluations and traffic safety education courses, in addition to the existing physical and cognitive function tests.

Meanwhile, the ministry also proposed offering subsidies to elderly drivers who voluntarily surrender their licenses, to help them purchase TPASS -- a monthly transit pass that provides unlimited rides on buses, metro, light rail, and ferries in participating cities.

Chen said the MOTC will finalize the details within three months, with the aim being to implement the new measures starting next year.

Despite the focus on accidents caused by senior drivers following Monday's tragedy, Chen noted that the age group with the highest number of traffic accidents is not the elderly, but drivers aged 18 to 24.

According to the MOTC, the leading causes of accidents involving elderly drivers as the primary party at fault last year were inattentiveness, nervousness, and distracted driving, followed by other improper driving behaviors, such as running a red light and failing to yield to pedestrians.