A Donegal Senator has stated {that a} proposal for drivers over 70 to endure refresher programs mustn’t see the sunshine of day.
Senator Niall Blaney has slammed European Fee plans that drivers over 70 could should have common medical checks and refresher programs to resume their driving licence.
The measures, he stated, can be “completely discriminatory on age-only grounds and would fully undermine the rights of older folks”.
The Alone charity for older folks has stated that the suitable to drive must be based mostly on capability not on age.
Talking at a gathering of the Seanad Choose Committee, Senator Blaney advised Minister of State of European Affairs, Peter Burke: “Analysis means that older motorists are a number of the most skilled drivers on our roads. A blanket measure such because the one proposed is the whole fallacious approach to strategy this. Merely put, not all people is identical and to counsel in any other case based mostly on age is discriminatory.
Senator Blaney continued: “Implementing the measures proposed by the European Fee, equivalent to common medical checks and refresher programs, dangers driving our most skilled drivers off the street. Screening older drivers would take mobility away from older folks and more and more place them in visitors poverty.”
Within the Choose Committee on Scrutiny of Draft EU-related Statutory Devices, Senator Blaney expressed his hope that this proposal won’t ever see the sunshine of day at European stage, including that it was deeply insulting and would fully undermine the rights of older folks.
He stated: “There’s lots of misguided eager about older drivers and I need to spotlight {that a} blanket strategy is totally the fallacious approach to go about this. The rights of older folks can’t be taken away.”
Refresher programs for drivers over 70 ‘completely discriminatory’ and ‘insulting’ was final modified: November twenty second, 2023 by
