Regular health tests mulled for motorists
Motorists will have to undergo regular medical tests to keep their drivers’ licenses, while tougher penalties will be imposed for driving violations in a bid to improve Greece’s poor road safety record, the government pledged yesterday. Transport Minister Michalis Liapis told a meeting of transport experts that the government’s aim is to reduce road accidents by 50 percent by 2010. To achieve this, he said, a series of measures will be implemented, including a new obligation for regular updates – possibly every 10 years, according to ministry sources – of driving licences as far as drivers’ health is concerned. This will apply to all motorists, with a particular emphasis on those who have been involved in serious accidents. Furthermore, the new highway code will be much stricter, while the «point system» – whereby offenders lose their licenses after gathering a certain number of penalty points – will be reactivated. And action will be taken to upgrade the country’s road network, which is pitted with death traps.
