The government will strengthen the driving aptitude test for elderly bus and taxi drivers. Previously, a disqualification was issued only if there were 2 or more 'poor' (level 5) ratings among the test items, but in the future, driving will also be restricted if there are 2 or more 'insufficient' (level 4) ratings among the 4 items highly relevant to accidents.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport noted on the 19th that it will announce the legislative notice for the revised enforcement rules of the 'Passenger Vehicle Transport Business Act' and 'Freight Vehicle Transport Business Act.' This amendment is a follow-up to the '2024 Traffic Accident Fatality Reduction Measures' announced last May.
Currently, drivers of buses, taxis, and trucks aged 65 and older must regularly pass the qualification maintenance test conducted by the Korea Transportation Safety Authority. Those aged 65 to 69 must be tested every 3 years, while those aged 70 and older must test annually.
A key point of the amendment is the strengthened criteria for the driving aptitude test. The driving aptitude test is divided into 5 levels: ▲excellent (level 1) ▲good (level 2) ▲average (level 3) ▲insufficient (level 4) ▲poor (level 5). Previously, if there were 2 or more 'poor' (level 5) ratings among 7 test items, a disqualification was issued, but in the future, if there are 2 or more 'insufficient' (level 4) ratings among the 4 items that are highly correlated with accidents, driving will be restricted.
In particular, four items directly related to accident occurrence—field of view, road identification, tracking, and complex functions—will be重点 evaluated. Previously, disqualification was determined based on the overall criteria of all test items, but in the future, the evaluation criteria for items with high accident risk will be strengthened.
Currently, taxi and truck drivers can substitute the qualification maintenance test with a medical aptitude test (blood pressure, vision, grip strength, cognition, etc.) from a clinic. However, according to the amendment, drivers aged 75 and older must pass a cognitive and physical examination conducted by the Korea Transportation Safety Authority.
Additionally, 'high-risk drivers' who have caused serious accidents requiring more than 3 weeks of treatment or have received 81 or more penalty points for traffic violations must undergo the authority's inspection without exception.
Currently, even if a disqualification is issued in the qualification maintenance test or medical aptitude test, a re-examination can be taken 14 days later, and unlimited retests are allowed. However, the amendment extends the re-test interval to 30 days starting from the third test, and from the fourth test, it will be conducted according to the new driver qualification standards. This is a measure to prevent side effects of passing the examination through simple repetitive learning.
Patients with hypertension and diabetes face an increased risk of fainting while driving, requiring enhanced management. If the systolic blood pressure is between 140 and 160 mmHg or the glycosylated hemoglobin level is between 6.5 and 9.0%, re-examinations must be conducted every 6 months.
Previously, medical aptitude tests could be replaced with the results of health examinations from clinics, but under the revised amendment, only the results from officially designated health examination institutions by the Ministry of Health and Welfare will be accepted. The validity period of examination results will also be shortened from the previous 6 months to 1 year, to 3 to 6 months.
The government plans to directly designate clinics to prevent substandard examinations and will cancel designations if false diagnoses are detected. A system will also be introduced where clinics directly report the examination results to the Korea Transportation Safety Authority to prevent transport workers from arbitrarily submitting test results.
From 2020 to 2023, the pass rate for elderly drivers in qualification maintenance tests reached an average of 97.5%. In the case of the medical aptitude test, the pass rate was even higher at 99.8%, indicating that virtually all candidates passed.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport anticipates that upon implementing this amendment, the qualification maintenance test pass rate will decrease to approximately 95.2%, the average level expected at the time the system was designed. The pass rate for the medical aptitude test is also expected to slightly decrease compared to before.