After an EU agreement, a bill to impose medical controls every five years for motorists over 70 are working in the Parliament of France. This is what could be reserved for older drivers.
Medical controls for older drivers are not a new idea in France: a similar proposal was presented in 2023, but was not considered.
Now, the Parliament of France is occupying the issue again, after an agreement by the The Member States of the European Parliament and the EU to develop and unify the rules for driving licenses by 2030.
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The EU plans allow a medical examination to be required to obtain a license, but also that each Member State could choose between a mandatory medical examination or a form of self -assessment.
This is where we are eating in France at this time.
What does the French bill say?
The bill, signed by a crossed group of 85 parliamentarians, “aims to strengthen the prevention of accidents on the road” by making a driver’s license and renew it, every 15 years, conditioned to medical control plans.
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The duration between each medical check will fall to five years when the driver is 70 years old or, proposes the bill.
“The health of drivers plays a decisive role in their ability to drive safely, regardless of their age,” he reads. “Disorders such as visual, auditory and cognitive deficiencies, or chronic diseases can affect the necessary skills to drive and guarantee the implementation of preventive measures.”
What is the law currently in France for older motorists?
There are currently no age restrictions in driving in France, with recommended medical tests instead of mandatory.
In fact, the Route of the French Code, which was reviewed in March 2025, maintains the principle of a valid life for any person who has approved their management test.
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However, the local préfet can request a medical exam from a larger driver if he feels that there are reasons for the group on their driving, such orders tend to be imposed after a road collection that involves a larger driver.
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After a doctor, if it is considered that a larger driver is not suitable behind the wheel, a series of monitoring steps are notable: temporary license suspension, greater medical monitoring or participation in update courses.
Since 2024, free courses for older people have included reflex tests and simulations of risk situations. This approach aims to preserve road safety while respecting autonomy or major drivers.
How popular is the idea?
In 2021, a survey Made by Dekra for RTL Radio He showed that 75 percent of people in France supported the idea of a regular mandatory medical examination for drivers over 65, including 58 percent or more than 65 years.
But a IPSOS STUDY FOR THE VINCI AUTOUTES FOUNDATION Last month he discovered that 51 percent of drivers of 65 years or more would refuse to take a doctor to demonstrate their aptitude to drive.
Perhaps the most important thing, 91 percent of the old motorists said they could drive was “essential” for their daily lives.
Only 33 percent of the elderly were in favor of medical controls that could lead to a prohibition of driving if they failed.
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An anonymous older car insisted: “This is another discriminatory measure in an increasingly gerontophobic society.”
And the 40 million motorist drivers association said in a press release: “This bill questions a fundamental principle: the Life driver license.
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“Today, the latter is essential for many citizens in their daily lives to meet their mobility needs, partly in areas where public transport and cycling are not adequate solutions.”
Are the French drivers particularly bad in driving?
On the contrary. Drivers of 65 years or more caused about 10 percent of fatal accidents on French roads in 2021, half of the number of deaths caused by motorists in the age group of 18 to 24 years, according to the data of the National Road Safety Agency.
Last year, 531 people between 18 and 24 years old died on the roads of France, compared to 364 people between 65 and 74 years, and 340 ages between 75 and 84 years.
According to the recent Ipsos study, 93 percent of those over 65 continue to drive regularly, but 81 percent of respondents said they take additional precautions, and 78 percent said they are less likely to drive at night.
What do doctors say?
Arnaud Gaunelle, a head doctor in Lormont, told the regional newspaper Sweat That introduction of mandatory medals for older drivers would be “not surprising.”
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“To drive, you need a certain capacity for strength, balance and vision,” said Dr. Gaunelle. “The difficulty comes from the accumulation of things that we can lose with age: see a little less well, have a little less strength, balance, reflexes, ability to anticipate … all this can cause difficulties to be the wheel.”
However, he questioned whether GPS could handle the additional pressure of medical tests for older drivers.
“The car is a matter of survival in certain areas, partly in rural areas. Stop driving redescribes the ability to move, have contacts; restricts the circle of activities or exits. People would be sold.
What happens in another place? What are the rules for older drivers outside France?
In the European Union, 14 countries, including Portugal, Spain, Denmark and Italy, have already introduced mandatory medical controls for motorists.
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In Portugal, medical controls are carried out every 10 years after 40 years, then every two years from 75 years.
Read too By country: How difficult is it to change your driver’s license for a French?
In the United Kingdom, drivers must renew their license once they reach 70 years.
Meanwhile, The EU rules related to the validity of driving links have been reviewedparticularly for upper conductors.
What does EU review about older drivers and medical controls say?
The reform establishes the introduction of mandatory medical exams before a new motorist can have its first license. Checks would include an eye exam and cardiovascular evaluation.
The period of validity of the driver’s license before renewal, confirmed by a medical check, will be harmonized throughout Europe depending on the type of vehicle:
- 15 years for cars and motorcycles;
- Five years for trucks and buses,
Member States can reduce the period of cars and motorcycles to 10 years if the permit also serves as a national identity document.
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It also includes the possibility that Member States reduce the period of validity of the management licenses for motorists 65 years or more. This measure aims to take into account changes in physical, motor, visual, auditory and cognitive skills linked to age.
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It will depend on each country to decide whether a medical check will be requested for licensing renovations, or if an alternative evaluation method will be sufficient.
To governments they want four years to transport these new provisions to their national legislation and prepare for their implementation.
When would any law in France come into force?
How long does a piece or a rope last? The wheels of the legislation turn slowly in France, and it seems that there is a lot of opposition of ‘gray voters’ to the proposals.
That said, the deadline of 2030-2034 of the EU is hung above all as the direction column of Damocles. But even after the agreement, EU regulations are subject to delays, just look at the continuous slow walk of the Ethias Visa Exemption For travelers who are not from the EU.
And, when EU rules enter into force, they can be delayed nationally, as France managed to make their efforts for long fingers Roadwavness tests for two -wheeled vehicles.
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