Seniors who drive should have a medical examination: this is what 77% of French people surveyed by the Ifop Institute for the MMA insurer and the magazine Reader’s Digest think this month of november.
The debate over fitness to drive is not new. As the magazine Reader’s Digest reminds us, “in June 2012 already, Yves Détraigne, senator (UDI-UC) from Marne, proposed a law instituting a medical assessment of the ability to drive for drivers aged 70 and over” . But the question has never been decided.
This new survey suggests that drivers would not be against such a measure since nearly 8 out of 10 French people (82% of women) believe that the medical examination should be made compulsory for seniors who drive. However, this wish erodes with age since only 60% of those over 64 are in favor. This medical visit could be an opportunity to take stock of the impact of certain drugs on driving. Indeed, according to the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), drugs considered to be at risk for driving are responsible for 3.3% of accidents of the road in France.
Asked about the subject, the Minister for the Elderly, Michèle Delaunay, explained that she was not in favor of the implementation of such a measure. “We must stop seeing age only through the prism of risk or danger. The only valid criterion in matters of road safety must be that of state of health and not of age ”declared the minister, herself 66 years old.
