‘There is no conclusive evidence that the introduction of mandatory age-based health examinations can significantly reduce road accident rates.’
PETALING JAYA: The government has no plans at present to require mandatory health examinations for drivers aged 70 and above as an additional condition for renewing their Competent Driving Licence (CDL) for private vehicles, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Deputy Transport Minister (MOT) Datuk Hasbi Habibollah said studies by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros), along with international analyses, found no conclusive evidence that age-based mandatory health screenings could significantly reduce road accident rates.
“Based on studies conducted by Miros, findings from research and international analyses show that there is no conclusive evidence that the introduction of mandatory age-based health examinations can significantly reduce road accident rates,” he said.
Hasbi was responding to Mohd Nazri Abu Hassan (PN-Merbok), who asked whether the government planned to introduce mandatory health screenings for elderly drivers and the extent to which such measures could improve road safety without affecting their mobility and well-being.
He also said police statistics showed that senior citizens aged 70 and above were involved in 3.5% of total road accidents in 2025, while individuals aged between 16 and 40 accounted for 69.4% of all road accidents.
“For 2024, 3% of total road accidents involved senior citizens aged 70 and above, while 65.2% involved individuals aged between 16 and 40.”
However, he stressed that the figures included all parties involved in accidents, including drivers, riders, passengers and victims, and did not indicate that age alone was the main contributing factor.
“The data covers individuals who were involved either as drivers, riders, passengers or victims, and does not show that age alone was the main contributor to road accidents,” he said.
Hasbi said the ministry remained aware of Malaysia’s ageing population trend, with the proportion of people aged 65 and above now exceeding 7%, based on data from the Statistics Department.
“Therefore, MOT continues to review international best practices related to licensing requirements for elderly drivers,” he said.
He added that imposing restrictions solely based on age could affect the mobility and well-being of senior citizens, particularly their access to healthcare services, ability to manage daily needs and participation in community activities.
“Increasing age does not necessarily mean a person loses the ability to drive, as each individual’s health condition and capabilities differ. Many elderly drivers are still able to drive safely and responsibly,” Hasbi said.
Currently, health examinations using the JPJ L8 and JPJ L8A forms are only mandatory for new applicants and vocational licence holders involving goods vehicles and public service vehicles, regardless of age.
