Individual member states will continue to decide on mandatory health tests for drivers in the European Union. Members of the European Parliament voted on Wednesday against mandatory EU-wide health checks for driving license holders. Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) once again rejected such a regulation in Germany.

The EU Commission had suggested that drivers must reapply for their driving license every 15 years and submit medical tests or self-declaration about their health. There was no age limit. In fact, seniors with limited vision or ability to react would be particularly affected.

With the proposal, the Commission wanted to make road traffic in Europe safer. According to them, more than 20,000 people die on European roads every year. A similar regulation on health checks already exists in Italy, for example: drivers there have to renew their driving license every ten years, every five years from the age of 50, every three years from the age of 70 and every two years from the age of 80.