Letters | In Hong Kong, 60-somethings retire and 80-somethings drive taxis. Go figure

Readers discuss whether elderly people should work as drivers, and why the focus should be on driving, not age

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Police investigate a traffic accident in Fortress Hill on March 5. An 84-year-old taxi driver has been charged with dangerous driving. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 11:30am, 9 Mar 2023

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The traffic accident caused by an 84-year-old taxi driver has raised questions about how the government assesses whether people are physically fit to work as drivers. This is not the only recent case involving an older driver.

Although accidents can be caused by younger drivers too, those would usually be due to attitude, rather than general fitness. It would go against common sense to say that age does not significantly affect fitness and increase accident risk.

Commercial driving is not casual driving, but continuous driving for half a day and much more demanding. The government may accept the argument that people have the right to earn a living, regardless of their age, but what about the right of other road users, young and old, to personal safety? Could the current medical check-ups for drivers be too lenient?

This opens up another issue. Why would people need to do such physically demanding jobs in their old age? We have all seen elderly people with white hair, seemingly in their 70s or older, cleaning the streets in the blazing sun, collecting cardboard or pushing carts on busy roads. What has gone wrong with retirement protection in Hong Kong, such that our old people are unable to enjoy a relaxing retirement in their twilight years?

But consider the other side of the story: despite a serious brain drain from the government, the retirement age for civil servants has not been extended across the board. Those who joined the government before June 2000 are due to retire at 60, even though the average life expectancy now is 85. However, the government allows departments to selectively extend the working lives of some civil servants, though not others.