Remember the incident involving a Proton Saga FL driving against traffic on the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link highway yesterday? It turns out that the driver involved is an 85-year-old man, according to a Harian Metro report, reigniting questions about whether senior citizens should be allowed to continue driving.
Iskandar Puteri police chief Assistant Commissioner M Kumarasan said the individual turned up at the district’s traffic investigation and enforcement division later in the day to aid in the investigation. It was found that the driver ended up opposing southbound traffic on kilometre 14.3 of the Second Link after making a wrong turn while driving towards his home in Tampoi, he added.
“It is believed [he] then turned off at the Gelang Patah exit and drove towards Mutiara Rini before the car he was driving ran out of fuel,” M Kumarasan said. “He was then helped by the public and returned home through an e-hailing service.”
District police began investigating the incident after a dash cam video posted by Facebook user AG Naysen went viral. It showed the cam car being one of a trio of vehicles on the fast lane that had to take evasive action to avoid the Saga, narrowly missing it. The case is now being investigated under Section 42 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for dangerous and reckless driving.
This latest incident is just one of several instances of senior citizens driving against traffic. The situation became so untenable that in 2021 the police proposed a number of conditions for seniors to keep their licences, including for them to undergo a doctor’s examination to ensure they are fit to drive.
The suggestion was promptly shot down by then-transport minister Wee Ka Siong, who said a driver’s competence should not be judged solely on age. More recently, his successor Anthony Loke said last year it would be hard to impose age limits, as 30% of licensed senior citizens were still actively driving.
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