Following the publication of various reports in the media that claim that Transport Malta should revise its procedures for the granting of a driving licence, the Authority, without going into the merits of cases which are sub-judice, clarifies that the medical requirements specified in the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations (SL.65.18) are in accordance with EU Directive 2006/126.

These requirements, which are explained over seven pages in the Regulations, include details on the following, and they vary depending on the type of vehicle being driven:

· Eyesight

· Hearing

· Locomotor disabilities

· Cardiovascular Diseases

· Diabetes Mellitus

· Neurological Diseases

· Epilepsy

· Mental Disorders

· Alcohol

· Drugs and Medicinal Products

· Renal Disorders

TM said that the same Regulations also specify the following:

1. Every new applicant for a driving licence, irrespective of the category and age, must submit a medical certificate signed by a medical practitioner confirming that the applicant is medically fit to drive in accordance with the Eighth Schedule of the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations (SL.65.18).

The applicant also declares that if he or she develops a medical condition after the issuing of the driving licence, he or she shall inform Transport Malta who in turn may request further medical assessments.

2. When renewing his or her driving licence, the applicant is once again required to declare that there has been no change in his or her medical condition since the issuing of the driving licence.

3. Specific groups of driving licence holders are required to submit further medical certificates when they renew their driving licence. These include anyone driving larger categories of vehicles (like minibuses, buses, coaches, trucks) where they are required to submit a medical declaration every five years. Those driving passenger transport vehicles commercially (including taxis, minibuses, coaches and buses) are required to submit a medical certificate every five years once they reach the age of fifty, and every year once they reach the age of sixty. Furthermore, anyone aged over seventy is required to submit a medical certificate every five years irrespective of the category of licence.

Transport Malta said that it recognises that medical fitness to drive is a very serious matter when it comes to road safety. In fact, Transport Malta, in October 2014, had set up a Working Group of professionals which includes representatives from the Medical Profession, the Health Department, the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, the Occupational, Health and Safety Authority and Transport Malta.

The objective of this Working Group is to develop and publish a set of guidelines to explain the complexities relating to the certification of new and existing drivers as medically fit to drive. “These guidelines which are aimed at the medical profession, are at an advanced stage and the aim is to have them published by the second quarter of this year,” TM said.

Transport Malta added that it is also developing an online system that will enable persons to apply for their driving licence online.

“This includes an important requirement for medical practitioners to certify the applicant either as fit drive or not fit to drive online which will enable Transport Malta to keep track of all assessments, and therefore limit the risk of applicants changing doctors in order to obtain a positive certificate. This system will be made available this year.”

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