Health
According to 2022 data from the Direction de la Recherche, des Études, de l'Évaluation et des Statistiques (DREES – Directorate of research, studies, evaluation and statistics of the Ministry of Health, Families, Autonomy and People with Disabilities), 8.7% of people aged 15 or over living in mainland France in ordinary housing report being severely limited in their usual activities due to a health problem lasting at least six months (GALI indicator). This proportion rises to around 17% among people aged 65 or over, compared with a significantly lower level among those under 65, with little difference between the sexes. In the French overseas departments and regions (DROM), the latest available data from the 2019 European Health Survey show higher levels, with 11% of people aged 15 and over reporting being severely limited for at least six months in French Guiana, 11% in Guadeloupe, 11% in La Réunion, 11% in Mayotte and 13% in Martinique. In mainland France, the proportion reaches 18% among people aged 65 and over (and even 26% among those aged 75 and over) compared with 6% among those under 65, with virtually no difference between the sexes.
The rules governing the right to drive for people with certain medical conditions are set out in the decree of 28 March 2022. This decree establishes a list of conditions that require medical supervision and specifies whether there is a permanent or temporary incompatibility, or, conversely, a permanent compatibility subject to preventive treatment or restrictions on driving circumstances (e.g. during the day). The conditions include ophthalmic, ENT, neurological, psychiatric, cardiovascular, pulmonary and renal disorders, ENT or musculoskeletal deficits, and diabetes. Any candidate for a driving licence or any driver with one of the medical conditions mentioned must seek the opinion of an approved doctor on their medical fitness to drive.
Unfitness to drive is a question of pathology rather than age, although pathologies are more prevalent in older people. According to the DREES, 3% of the population has three or more chronic pathologies or treatments at the age of 45-64, 8% at the age of 65-74 and 21% over the age of 75. The DREES also notes that at least three pathologies are found in 11% of men aged 65 to 74 and in 26% of men aged 75 and over, while these proportions are 6% and 17% respectively for women.
Between 2020 and 2024, 15% of fatal accidents are related to the factors of ‘malaise’ or ‘drowsiness-fatigue’. In 2024, three-quarters of motor vehicle drivers presumed to be responsible for these factors were aged 55 or over. In the BAAC database, the frequency of the ‘illness’ factor alone increases with age and becomes significant after the age of 50. In 2024, this factor affects 38% of vehicle drivers over the age of 64 who are killed. It is present in 10% of road deaths.
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