AZE.US
Azerbaijan does not have a blanket age limit that automatically bars older people from driving.
The debate is not about whether a person should lose the right to drive at 70 or 80, but whether older drivers should be required to prove they remain medically fit to be on the road.
Under Azerbaijani rules, citizens can obtain a driving licence after turning 18, completing training, passing the required exam and submitting a medical certificate.
The licence system already includes age-linked renewal periods. For drivers under 60, licences are generally valid for 10 years. For people aged 60 and older, validity is limited by the period remaining until they turn 70. For drivers aged 70 and above, licences are issued for 2 years, subject to medical fitness.
The issue was discussed in a Baku TV report after residents were asked whether elderly drivers should face tougher restrictions.
“As long as they are healthy, let them drive”
Public opinion is divided.
Some residents argue that older drivers can create difficulties in traffic, especially in busy urban areas such as Baku, where reaction time and lane discipline matter.
One respondent said some drivers move too slowly or block traffic without obvious reason.
Others reject a strict age-based approach.
“As long as they are healthy, let them drive,” one 65-year-old driver said, adding that he still feels confident behind the wheel.
Another respondent said the issue should not be reduced to age alone.
“There are people who are active and alert at 80, and there are people at 40 who already have health problems,” he said.
Health, not age, is the key question
Experts say the central issue should be medical fitness, not the number in a driver’s passport.
That means eyesight, psychological condition, physical reaction and general health should be assessed properly before a person is allowed to continue driving.
If doctors confirm that an older driver is capable of safely operating a vehicle, age alone should not be a reason to restrict the person’s driving rights.
Supporters of this approach point to Europe, where very elderly people may continue driving if they meet the necessary requirements.
“How can people drive at 100 or 105 in Europe, while in Azerbaijan we discuss limiting the rights of a 70-year-old citizen?” the Baku TV report noted.
The debate is likely to continue as Azerbaijan’s roads become busier and the population ages.
For now, the practical answer is clear: there is no fixed upper age at which a person must stop driving in Azerbaijan. The real condition is whether the driver remains healthy enough to do so safely.
AZE.US