Before drivers can get behind the wheel, they may have to get under a stethoscope.
Under new rules being developed for drivers, applicants for driving licenses would need to obtain a medical certificate to show they’re free of potentially dangerous conditions.
The new requirement comes on the heels of last week’s tragic death of four students who were struck and killed by a former school principal, who reportedly lost control of his vehicle due to an epileptic seizure.
It will be many months at best before such a system is implemented, according to Achsathai Ratanadilok na Phuket of the Land Transport Department.
What’s likely to prove challenging is finalizing a list of conditions for the no-drive list. The Medical Council is focusing on inclusion of potentially impairing conditions such as heart disease, severe diabetes and epilepsy, Bangkok Post reported.
Thailand has an estimated 1.2 million to 2.4 million epileptics, according to the council’s Itthiporn Khanacharoen, with hundreds of thousands on the road at present.
