2023-05-10 14:11:37
In Austria there is excitement regarding a planned EU regulation on older people at the wheel. The background is the EU Commission’s proposal from the beginning of March for more safety on the roads in the EU. This should be done, for example, by regularly checking the fitness to drive of people over 70 years of age. The FPÖ and the Presidents of the Senior Citizens’ Council Peter Kostelka (SPÖ) and Ingrid Korosec (ÖVP) are now criticizing the Brussels authority’s plans as age-discriminatory.
Specifically, according to the EU Commission, people over 70 should either complete a self-assessment of their fitness to drive every five years or have a medical examination carried out. “The decision whether to self-assess or check with a doctor is up to the member states,” writes the EU authority.
Driving licenses that have been issued since 2013 are already limited to 15 years. All driving licenses that were issued before 2013 – in Austria the old, pink paper licenses – remain valid until 2033.
The European Parliament and the EU states must now find positions on the new project and negotiate a compromise before new rules can come into force. So changes are possible.
According to the broadcast, FPÖ traffic spokesman and Secretary General, Christian Hafenecker, sees “arbitrary” age discrimination in the planned regulation for people over 70 years of age. For him, this is a “vexatious measure by the EU”.
Pensioners’ associations made similar statements. “This is a clear case of age discrimination, which must not be implemented in this form in Austria,” criticized Kostelka in a broadcast. Korosec explained: “Limiting older people in their mobility has a huge negative impact on their quality of life.”
The ÖVP deputies in the EU Parliament, Angelika Winzig and Barbara Thaler, also criticized. The EU Commission’s goal of making road traffic safer “is a good one,” said Winzig in a statement. “However, with the current proposal, senior citizens are disproportionately restricted.” Thaler explained: “Previously, there was general suspicion for women, now for older people – both are wrong.”
According to the responsible Ministry of Transport, it is examining the EU proposal. “Many details are still open in the proposal and clear clarifications and improvements will therefore still be needed before negotiations between the member states at the political level and with the EU Parliament can begin,” it said when asked by the APA.
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