The Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) has reminded drivers of 65 years of age and over about changes to their driving licence conditions; i.e., renewals.
The main change is that when you reach this age, you will have to renew it every five years instead of every ten years for younger drivers. Drivers of 70 or over will have to renew their driving licence every two years. Drivers over 90 will be issued a wheelchair with a toy steering wheel & honker and told not to be silly. Just joking, of course!
The DGT made the decision to introduce this change because one in three road deaths within the European Union involves a driver over 65. In Spain the figure is closer to 28% of road deaths. The EU authorities consider that this is because of a loss of aptitude.
So, what do you need in order to renew your Spanish driving licence? You have to provide the following:
• The official application form.
• A doctor’s aptitude test results. (you know, prove that you’re not blind as a bat and deaf as a post, as well as being able to keep a dot between two moving, wavy lines for a couple of minutes).
• ID; i.e, your TIE, Passport or Residency Certificate.
• A recent photo.
Editorial comment: mine runs out in March anyway, so I will have to renew it and being in my 66th year, it will only be valid five years. Secondly, they say that one in three road deaths involve over 65-year olds with impaired reactions… So, what is the damned excuse for the other two in three who are under 65?
(News: Spain)
I was quite tiddly one afternoon just outside Fanny Colour struggling to negotiate the prospect of remembering my right from left , when a very kind lady explained there was a zebra crossing I Said I Hope it was having more luck than me
VIVA Palm Trees
Warren
Amen to that, Pat!
What you really mean is 2 out of 3 accidents involve under 65yo!! And whose to say those accidents involving over 65yo weren’t caused by under 65yo???
Whilst on the subject…what’s the long, long delay in licence exchange?? Tantamount to keeping thousands prisoners under house arrest…thanks a million to our useless ambassador and his department. How about fighting back and inflicting similar on Spanish drivers in UK??
When I renewed my licence recently, and I am close to retirement age, the doctor and other person I saw separately couldn’t believe I don’t take any Big Pharma drugs! The woman (not a doctor afaik) asked me how many ciggies I smoke. Is this relevant to my licence? Then she aksed me whether I smoked anything else lol. I don’t but I should have told her I smoke kippers!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxZqeCMm3ug
So, almost 33% of accidents resulting in death, invovle a person over 65. On the other hand, 1,000 plus people under 65 were involved in accidents in Andalusia, who had consumed drugs. Plus, many with too much alcohol, too.
So do we condemn them! Make them sit a medical for under 65s! They, in the main, are the speeders. On roundabouts, they have zero idea of negotiating one correctly or using indicators. The bad overtakers! The parkers on zebra crossings! The over-laden vans and lorries!
Nope the over 65s are just cash cows.