In the Côtes-d’Armor, seniors give their driving license a facelift

Some passed their license more than 50 years ago. So revising the highway code does not seem superfluous to them that day. “I’ve had my license since 1967. I haven’t had many accidents but a little recap puts things in place”, admits Michel Hamon who participates in the operation “Rejuvenate your license”.

During this lively refresher day at Plaintel, these senior volunteers held theoretical and practical lessons on driving. After reviewing a few basic rules of the highway code, some, like Mauricette, took the wheel alongside a driving school instructor. “I thought there were new signs, new rules. That’s why I wanted to register. And then also see what I had lost over the years because it’s been a long time since I have my license, explains this motorist who has been driving for 45 years. Driving simulators complete this immersion on the right attitudes to have on the road.

Set up by the Côtes-d’Armor gendarmerie group, this operation “Rejuvenate your license” responds to an observation that worries road safety players in this department. In Côtes-d’Armor, 43% of people involved in road accidents are over 65 according to the latest figures. And since the beginning of 2022, of the nineteen individuals killed on the roads, eight were over the age of 65. “It is an indicator that has allowed us to confirm the idea that this public needs to be protected, secure”, reports Lieutenant-Colonel Laurent Kerdoncuff, of the Côtes-d’Armor gendarmerie group.

Similar days will be scheduled in the coming months by the gendarmerie companies of Guingamp, Dinan and Lannion.