Thailand considers stricter safety checks for older drivers

Thailand is considering additional measures to improve road safety among older motorists, including reviewing physical fitness requirements for new driving licence applicants aged 55 and above. However, officials have stressed that existing lifetime driving licences will not be revoked.

The country continues to record around 50 road deaths a day, or approximately 15,000 annually. Although the situation has improved over the past decade, further efforts are needed to address the problem, with the long-term goal of eliminating road fatalities.

The issue will be among those discussed at the 17th Thailand Road Safety Seminar, under the theme “Unlocking Safe Cities”, scheduled for November 19–20 at IMPACT Forum, Muang Thong Thani.

Siripong Angkasakulkiat, deputy transport minister, said one growing concern was the increasing proportion of road accidents involving older drivers.

He pointed to incidents in which elderly motorists drove cars into U-turn areas designed for motorcycles and became stuck, as well as cases involving older people riding electric motorcycles, colloquially dubbed “inheritance accelerators”, on public roads.

He described these situations as safety concerns that required discussion and appropriate solutions.

As an initial step, authorities are considering studying approaches adopted in other countries, including Japan, where older motorists are encouraged to voluntarily surrender their driving licences in exchange for benefits supporting their use of public transport.

For people aged 55 and above, existing regulations already require physical fitness assessments when they apply for a new driving licence. The tests follow technical recommendations intended to improve road safety.

However, officials will need to discuss whether additional criteria should be introduced to strengthen the existing requirements.

Siripong stressed that there would be no compulsory withdrawal of lifetime driving licences and no additional burden on the public.

“Lifetime licences will not be withdrawn. The requirement is simply that anyone applying for a new driving licence must undergo a physical fitness test. If lifetime licences are to be surrendered, this would be voluntary, following Japan's approach. The suitability of such a measure must first be discussed,” he said.

Sorapong Paitoonphong, director-general of the Department of Land Transport (DLT), also confirmed that the department had no plans to abolish lifetime driving licences.

People who currently hold these licences can continue using them legally, with all their existing rights fully protected.

He reiterated that physical fitness testing applies only to people seeking new driving licences. Applicants aged 55 and above must undergo the assessment in accordance with technical recommendations to ensure their fitness to drive.

The DLT currently has more than 11 million lifetime driving licences on record nationwide, comprising:

• 5,640,070 lifetime private car driving licences.
• 3,855 lifetime private three-wheeler driving licences.
• 5,443,048 lifetime motorcycle driving licences.