Review on Driving License Restriction for Diabetes and Heart Patients

A plan to restrict the issuance of driving licenses to those with diseases which may impact safe driving such as diabetes is being reviewed.

The Regional Police Headquarters said on January 30 that it is examining the plan to restrict issuance of driving licenses to people with diabetes, heart diseases, and sleep apneas.

According to the police, issuing driving licenses is already limited to those people from advanced countries such as the United States and Japan. This question was already raised in the last inspection of the administration.

Accordingly, the police intends to push a revision of the Road Traffic Act after preparing a reform measure through a public hearing and a consultation with medical circles until March of next year as well as a study entrusted to expert organizations this year.

A police official said, “If a person has a serious case of diabetes, his or her sharply falling sight could cause an accident. It is the same with a heart disease patient because he or she is likely to suffer a sudden stroke. So we are reviewing to restrict issuing a driving license according to the severity of the patient’s condition through ways such as compulsory attachment of diagnosis while applying for a license.”

Today’s aptitude test for a driving license includes five physical procedures such as sight, hearing, and capacity for locomotion as well as mental ones such as mental troubles and medicinal poisoning.

Heon-Jin Lee mungchii@donga.com