Data checks aim to identify medically unfit drivers

Taiwan plans to allow road authorities to use health data to identify drivers who might no longer be medically fit to hold a license, the government said yesterday.

The proposed system would cover drivers with visual impairments, epilepsy and moderate or severe dementia, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said.

Under the plan, road authorities would periodically obtain data on the three conditions held by government agencies, including information collected from people applying for certain government subsidies or insurance programs.

Motorists drive on a roadway in an undated photograph.

Photo: Wu Liang-yi, Taipei Times

Road authorities would then cross-check the information against driver records.

Drivers identified as potentially no longer fit to drive would be asked to undergo a new qualification review. Those who fail would have to surrender their licenses.

About 47,000 drivers could be affected by the system, which is expected to take effect by the end of this year, the ministry said.

Currently, such checks might not occur until drivers renew their licenses.

The proposed system is intended to address cases in which drivers develop medical conditions or experience age-related changes after receiving their licenses that could affect their ability to drive safely, the ministry said.

The proposal follows amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例) promulgated in November last year.

Those amendments require drivers to undergo a new qualification review if changes in their physical or mental condition mean they no longer meet the standards required to drive.

The proposed regulations set out what data government agencies would be permitted to provide and how authorities could collect, process and use them.

The information collected would be limited to visual function, epilepsy and moderate or severe dementia, in accordance with the principle of data minimization, the ministry said.

Under current regulations, people with epilepsy can apply for a driver’s license if they provide a doctor’s certificate showing they have been free of seizures for at least two years.