Criteria for Assessing Fitness of Elderly Individuals to Retain Driving Licences

Mr Darryl David asked the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the Ministry has established any criteria for medical practitioners to assess the fitness of elderly individuals to retain their driving licences under the "Fitness To Drive" medical examination assessment; (b) if not, who determines these criteria; and (c) what is the frequency of review for these criteria.

Mr K Shanmugam: The Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Driving Licence) Rules under the Road Traffic Act set out the scope of the medical assessment required for motorists aged 65 and above who wish to retain their driving licences. The three-yearly assessment covers the motorist's past medical history, vision, hearing, movement and physical or mental abnormalities. A Singapore-registered medical practitioner conducts the assessment using the medical examination checklist developed by the Traffic Police (TP) based on the Singapore Medical Association's (SMA's) "Fitness to Drive" guidelines.

TP monitors the road traffic situation closely for new risk factors and, as and when necessary, consults stakeholders, including SMA, to ensure that the criteria remain adequate.