85 Year-Old Man Identified As Driver Going Wrong Way On Linkedua - Age Limit Needed?

Following the recent incident on the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link highway (Linkedua), where a Proton Saga was observed driving against the flow of traffic, Iskandar Puteri police chief, Assistant Commissioner M Kumarasan, has confirmed that the driver involved in the incident has been identified as an 85-year-old man.

According to Kumarasan, the elderly man was found traveling against the flow of traffic on the southbound lane of the Second Link at the 14.3-kilometer marker. This incident occurred after the individual purportedly executed an incorrect turn while navigating towards his home in Tampoi. An investigation is currently underway regarding potential violations of Section 42 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, specifically pertaining to careless and dangerous driving. Notably, there have been numerous instances of elderly individuals driving recklessly and breaking traffic laws. In 2021, law enforcement authorities proposed a number of requirements for senior drivers to retain their licenses, yet these were promptly rejected by the then-Minister of Transport, Wee Ka Siong.

The rationale for this rejection was that age should not be the sole determinant of driving competency. Subsequently, the current Minister of Transport, Anthony Loke, acknowledged the challenges in implementing age-based restrictions, citing that 30% of licensed senior citizens remain active drivers.
While most people believe that older drivers shouldn't face driving restrictions, their individual medical situations should be taken into account, especially if they have deteriorating vision or other health conditions. Therefore, it has been proposed that senior drivers in Malaysia undergo additional testing when renewing their licenses.

This requirement has already been adopted in some nations, including Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom, which do not prohibit senior drivers but do impose additional requirements for renewing their licenses.

According to a 2024 NST report, the percentage of incidents in Malaysia involving drivers 60 and older has steadily increased since 2020, rising from 8.9% in 2020 to 9.2% in 2021 and 12% in 2022.





Given the alarming rise in road accidents involving elderly drivers, it is imperative for the government to re-evaluate the proposed health assessment mandate for license renewal. At the very least, they must be declared healthy enough to drive and have vision that fulfils the minimum criterion.