6,000 made to resit driving test

MORE THAN six thousand drivers have been asked to pass a medical examination over the last five years because as their abilities behind the wheel were brought into question.

The traffic police, via the Road Transport Department, sent notifications to 6,140 drivers, demanding that they re-take their driving test. The majority of these drivers were involved in traffic accidents and were over the age of 70.

So far this year, twelve per cent of fatal traffic accidents have involved drivers over the age of 60.

After the age of 70 a driver needs to produce a doctor’s certificate verifying they are fit to drive, which must be reproduced every three years.

Others who were sent the letters had mental disorders, while according to Traffic Chief Doros Achilleos, most of this group were young men that were exempted from the army service for psychological reasons.

Achilleos explained that it is not logical for an 18-year old young man to be exempted from his military obligations for reasons relating to mental health and then drive without being tested to see if he is fit to drive.

The re-evaluation can be carried out in two ways: one being the most common where the driver is required to visit a doctor and present a medical certificate which states that they are capable of driving. The other concerns cases that are deemed as dangerous, and they are referred before a medical council which decides whether someone can drive or not.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.