Will JPJ require senior drivers to get an eye test and medical examination to renew their driving licence in 2024?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Updated @ 2023-07-21 : Added JPJ’s official statement on the viral claim
Originally posted @ 2023-07-20
Claim : JPJ To Require Eye + Medical Tests For Senior Drivers!
This message has gone viral on WhatApp, claiming that the Malaysia Road Transport Department (JPJ) will require senior drivers who are 65 years and older to get an eye test and medical report before they can renew their driving licence in 2024!
Post as received!👇🏻
Notice
Hi seniors, those above 65 yrs will need to get eye tests & medical from 2024 to get your driving licence re-newed.
Go to jpj now to get your licence extended at the warga Emas counter. We just did it. Very fast. Less than 15 mins.
Mine expires 2027 so they extended till 2034. Rm30/yr. pay with credit card. Very easy.
1. At jpj pj, go to the right door -enquiry to get your number.
2. Then go to pintu B to warga Mas counter & give your driving licence & pay.
3. Then go a counter on the left to give the guy your ic. Wait for him to give u your new driving licence.
Recommended : JPJ : Renew Driving Licence Or Retake Full Driving Test!
Truth : JPJ Does NOT Require Eye + Medical Tests For Senior Drivers!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp and social media, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Eye Test + Medical Report Not Required To Renew Driving Licence
First, let me just point out that the renewal of your driving licence has very few requirements:
- The driver must not be blacklisted
- You can only renew your driving licence for up to 10 years.
- You must provide the following documents:
– Original MyKad / passport (or copies, if renewed by a representative)
– Original MyKad / passport of representative (if renewed by a representative)
– Original driving licence
– 1 colour photo (25 mm x 32 mm, with a white background)
– Fee of RM2 per year for Class A/A1)
– Fee of RM20 per year for Class B, B2 and C
– Fee of RM30 per year for Class D and above
There is no requirement to undertake any eye test, or provide a medical report, in order to renew your driving licence.
Fact #2 : JPJ Labelled The Claim As Fake News!
A check of the JPJ website and official Facebook page confirmed that the Malaysia Road Transport Department has not announced any additional requirements to renew your driving licence.
There was also no such announcement on the official Facebook page of Malaysia Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
At around 5:45 PM on July 20, 2023, JPJ finally issued a statement, calling the claim it will require senior drivers to undertake an eye test and provide a medical report to renew their driving licence as “fake news“. Here is the statement in English:
VIRAL MESSAGE DISCLAIMER NOTICE
The Malaysian Road Transport Department (JPJ) would like to inform everyone that the claim that went viral on WhatsApp about Senior Citizens aged 65 and above being required to undergo eye examination and health examination starting in 2024 IS NOT TRUE.
Accordingly, the driving license renewal for senior citizens remains as usual.
In this regard, JPJ advises the public not to be so gullible and to contact the nearest JPJ office to get more accurate information so as not to be deceived.
Recommended : Where + How To Renew Driving Licence In Malaysia!
Fact #3 : PDRM Asked For Fit To Drive Test In 2021
This fake news is likely based on 2021 news reports about a possible Fit To Drive test for senior drivers in Malaysia.
In September 2021, Malaysian police asked the government to consider introducing a “Fit To Drive” assessment system to evaluate senior drivers who are 60 years and older, before they are allowed to renew their driving / riding licences.
At that time, federal traffic police chief Azisman Alias explained that the suggestion to the Malaysian Transport Ministry and the Road Transport Department (JPJ) was based on the number of cases involving senior citizens who were caught driving against the flow of traffic, and committing other offences at traffic lights and road junctions.
We need to assess the capability of senior citizens on the road because of the risk posed to other road users as well as themselves.
There have been several cases involving drivers under the influence of drugs and alcohol. We also see a rising number of cases of driving against the flow involving the elderly aged 60 to 70 years and above.
When the police detained them, it was apparent some of them aged 70 and above had some sort of dementia or senility. Some of them were also found to be not alert to certain traffic conditions.
He suggested, at that time, that the medical fraternity alongside the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) should conduct a study on the possibility of introducing aptitude or cognitive tests for senior drivers.
They (senior drivers) should only be allowed to renew their licences provided they undergo a medical check-up and receive confirmation from a doctor that they are fit to drive, mentally and physically.
He cited developed countries such as the UK, Canada, Singapore and Australia, which have introduced similar tests. For example, senior drivers in Singapore who are over 65 years old must undergo an annual medical examination by a medical practitioner.
That suggestion was met with public uproar. The Transport Minister at that time, Wee Ka Siong, also spoke out against it, calling it discriminatory:
Many drivers far above the age of 70 display greater competence in driving compared to those who are younger.
Simply refusing an elderly the means to drive or ride on the basis of their age or based on isolated or anecdotal evidence is discriminatory
As of July 2023, the Malaysia Transport Ministry and the Road Transport Department have not implemented, or even announced, any such Fit To Drive test for senior drivers.
Recommended : You Can Now Renew Driving Licence For 10 Years With 10% Off!
Fact #4 : Senior Drivers To Voluntarily Surrender Driving Licence
Ultimately, as long as senior drivers have not been blacklisted for committing traffic offences, they can continue to renew driving licences.
This fake news is similar to the 2021 viral claim that senior drivers who are 70 years and above must surrender their driving licences to JPJ.
As Wee Ka Siong, the Transport Minister at that time explained, the Malaysia Road Transport Act 1987 leaves the responsibility to the driver to voluntarily surrender their driving licence if their health is unsatisfactory and may endanger other road users.
Actually, Section 30 of the Road Transport Act 1987 leaves the responsibility to the driver to voluntarily surrender their driving license when they have unsatisfactory health conditions and may endanger other road users.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
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