Editorial | Fears over ageing taxi drivers must be faced

That taxi services in Hong Kong still leave much to be desired is a long-held belief, which regrettably is not being taken as seriously as it should. Adding to concerns is a recent spate of accidents involving elderly drivers that has fuelled calls to tighten health rules for those working in the industry.

To be fair, age is just a number. Arguably, as long as one is physically and mentally sound, no one should be banned from working because of their age.

That said, the series of incidents involving elderly taxi drivers does raise serious questions about road safety.

On Sunday, an 85-year-old was arrested after three pedestrians were injured in North Point. In January, an 87-year-old was involved in three accidents within nine days. In another incident, a passenger died when a taxi, driven by a 77-year-old, hit a parked truck in Wong Tai Sin. Last month, a 66-year-old was arrested for dangerous driving after a food delivery courier on a motorcycle was killed in Kwai Chung.

The incidents occurred in a variety of circumstances and were unrelated. There is a suggestion that the one on Sunday may have been caused by a mechanical failure and, as with other traffic accidents, one must not jump to conclusions.