China raises age cap for driver's license

China has raised the age cap for drivers of various automobiles, as the Ministry of Public Security on Friday issued a revision of the regulations for applying for and using driver’s licenses.

According to the revised regulations, the upper age limit for those who apply for a license to drive large and medium-sized buses and large freight trucks has been raised from 60 to 63. So has the upper age limit for those who apply for a driver’s license for other vehicles, including trams, trolleybuses and heavy tractor trailers.

The revision made it clear that drivers of these vehicles who need to continue to drive them when they pass 63 should take a test of their memory, judgment and reaction speed. If they pass the test, they can apply to extend the validity of their driver’s licenses within a year before they turn 63. The extension is no longer than three years.

The age cap for those who apply for a license to drive light tractor trailers and regular motorcycles has been raised from 60 to 70. The revision will come into effect Jan. 1, 2025.

The ministry said that the revision was made to accommodate the country’s policy of gradually raising the statutory retirement age and to guarantee the people’s rights to work. The ministry will ask local traffic management authorities across the country to reinstate the driver’s licenses that had been revoked in line with previous age limits, the department said in a statement Friday.

The revision came about four years after the ministry issued 12 measures to improve services for drivers. One measure was lifting the age cap for people who can apply for a license to drive small automobiles, which had been set at the age of 70, to cater to the country’s aging population. Applicants above 70 need to take a test of their memory, judgment and reaction speed.