European country wants to take driver’s licenses away from citizens over 68 years old

For many people, the car is the solution that makes their workday, shopping sprees and family visits run smoothly. That’s why it always causes a stir when a country changes the rules and regulations on who can get behind the wheel.

For several years, the EU has been discussing whether older drivers should face stricter requirements. Now one of the major countries has moved from words to action. Italy has decided that there should be a fixed age limit for certain types of driving licenses.

The focus is not on ordinary passenger cars. The focus is on heavy vehicles, which take up the most space on the road and demand the most from the driver. Here, the Italian authorities have deemed that the risk becomes too high when the driver reaches a certain age.

Earlier this year, a new general rule was introduced that if you are over 68 years old, you can no longer renew your category C and CE license, which is used for trucks and other heavy vehicles.

This decision is felt in an industry where many have had a long working life behind the wheel.

Age limit, fines and health checks

The Italian change stems from Article 126 of the country’s traffic law and is directly linked to the European Commission’s goal of reducing accidents on European roads.

The idea is that heavy vehicles should only be driven by drivers with both physical and mental acuity, so age has been given a clearer role in the rules as the authorities want to limit the number of accidents involving older drivers in the heaviest traffic.

Already from the age of 50, the requirements become stricter for Italians. Health checks are mandatory every two years and doctors check vision, hearing and heart health, among other things.

As long as you pass these checks, you can continue to drive heavy vehicles up to the set limit of 68 years.

Then the line is clear, the right to drive heavy vehicles expires and there is no possibility of extension.

If people under 68 still drive a truck without a valid license, they risk a fine of 1,200 euros and a ban on driving heavy vehicles for four to eight months.

Implications for older drivers and the transportation industry

Although the rule seems significant, it doesn’t close all doors for older drivers. People over the age of 68 can continue to drive light vehicles with a category A or B license, so everyday driving in a regular car can continue.

For older drivers, the transition can feel abrupt. Some will lose the opportunity to continue a long working life, and some may experience the decision as a form of discrimination because age itself becomes a decisive factor.

At the same time, companies in the transportation industry are being forced to think ahead and recruit younger employees well in advance.

This puts pressure on both the education system and companies to recruit new drivers and provide training so that experience doesn’t disappear overnight.

Other European countries are following developments closely. Each country assesses its own infrastructure, traffic volume and age profile of drivers before making decisions.