Easing of driving licence rules get thumbs up from Kilkenny over 70s
Kilkenny residents over the age of 70 who were in line to renew their driving licence can now do so without needing a medical report.
The exemption was announced this week by Junior Minister Transport Hildegarde Naughton to ease the burden on medical services following the surge of Covid cases since the start of the year.
The move has been welcomed by Kilkenny TD John Paul Phelan. Deputy Phelan said he has received numerous calls in recent weeks from constituents worried their licences had expired or were about to expire.
The local Fine Gael TD said: “Persons of 70 years of age or over can apply for, and renew, their driving licence without the need to submit a medical report, on the condition that they do not have an identified or specified illness and are not applying for a truck or bus category.
“This extended measure will eliminate the need for our drivers over the age of 70 from having to make an unnecessary journey to their GP, or to the NDLS centre, as we continue to work to minimise social interactions in our efforts to tackle Covid-19,” Deputy Phelan (pictured below) added.
All drivers who are over 70-years of age will be contacted directly with an application pack which will allow them to apply for a new licence by post. Applications can also be made at www.ndls.ie.
