LThe European Parliament has just approved a historic reform in driving licenses: from now on, every driver will have to regularly prove his or her fitness to drive, in particular through a medical examination. This is a major step forward in terms of road safety. A victory, of course in Europe, but it will only be meaningful if France takes full ownership of the victory.
For years, associations, doctors, grieving families, and mobilized communities have warned of a reality we can no longer ignore: too many accidents are associated with undetected medical problems – cognitive impairment, loss of reflexes, impaired vision or hearing, drug treatments that impair alertness. Since 1uh January, impaired driving was responsible for an accident every three days, a figure derived from monitoring carried out by Save Lives, allowed collectively.
Behind these numbers are shattered lives and inevitable tragedy. In many European countries – Spain, Greece, the Czech Republic – there are already regular health checks for drivers. This is not about stigmatizing elderly drivers, or imposing additional bureaucracy, but pointing out the obvious: driving is not an absolute right, but a collective responsibility. Health checks are not intended to punish, but to protect – to protect those who drive vehicles, and especially those they encounter.
A question of life and death
The European Parliament has shown the way. Their reforms provided for licenses to be renewed every fifteen years, with medical checks for fitness, more frequently after age 65. Each Member State now has three years to change this policy. France has no right to wait. We have turned a blind eye to driving disability for too long. This is not a technical or marginal subject. This is a matter of life and death. This health certificate can save lives, it is a precautionary principle.
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