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The number of people dying on Denmark’s roads is increasing

159 traffic deaths were recorded in Denmark in the first ten months of 2019.

Published: 12 December 2019 10:33 CET

The number of people dying on Denmark's roads is increasing

Photo: Ida Guldbæk Arentsen/Ritzau Scanpix

The figure for the corresponding period in 2018 was 134 fatalities, meaning the country has a worse record for fatal accidents this year than last.

The government has announced a Road Safety Commission to improve road safety in Denmark in response to the concerning statistic, the Ministry of Transport and Housing has said in a press statement.

“It is tragic that the number of traffic fatalities is increasing and that 95 per cent of road accidents occur due to human behaviour,” transport minister Benny Engelbrecht said in the statement.

“This is simply a sign that we are not taking enough care of ourselves and each other on the roads,” the minister added.

Andreas Steenberg spokesperson for transport with the Social Liberal Party, has been named as chairperson of the cross-party commission. The Liberal party’s spokesperson for transport Kristian Pihl Lorentzen will be deputy chairperson.

The first meeting of the new road safety commission is scheduled for February 7th, 2020.

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What medical conditions can lose you your driving licence in Denmark?

As a general rule, any medical condition or illness which makes you unsafe on the road will lead to your licence being suspended and perhaps even permanently revoked.

There is a long list of medical conditions which could cause this, including certain sight and hearing problems, cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological illnesses, and psychiatric conditions. You might lose your licence temporarily, for good, or in the case of progressive conditions, be given a temporary licence which requires a new health assessment before being renewed.

Who might decide to remove my licence for health reasons?

The decision to suspend, revoke or limit your driving licence is most likely to be taken by a GP, specialist doctor, psychologist or optician after a medical condition has been diagnosed, or in the case of elderly patients, if their age makes them unsafe behind the wheel.

Under Danish law, doctors are obliged to issue a driving ban “in cases where the doctor detects changes in a patient’s health conditions, and the doctor assesses that the patient can no longer safely drive a motor vehicle.”

If a doctor is unsure, or feels they lack the information needed to tell whether it would be dangerous for you to continue to drive, they can start a driving licence case by filling in a medical certificate detailing the health conditions and sending it to the patient’s municipality.

The health conditions will then be assessed in the same way as health conditions are assessed when applying for or renewing a licence, with the licence either denied, issued for a limited time, or granted for the full 15 years.

They can also recommend that the patient’s driving ability be assessed by an expert at the Danish Road Traffic Authority.

Denmark no longer requires people to automatically have their driving ability tested, with driving licences instead renewed after 15 years, regardless of the holders age.

READ ALSO: Can you drive a friend or relative’s car in Denmark?

How are health conditions treated when applying for or renewing a driving licence?

Everyone applying for their first driving licence in Denmark needs to present a medical certificate (unless they want their licence to be limited to small mopeds). The certificate can either be obtained by contacting your doctor, or else by applying digitally on Borger.dk.

You will also need to present a medical certificate if applying to extend your driving license so you can drive a tractor, car, taxi, or a motorcycle with a sidecar, or applying for or renewing a licence to drive a truck, bus or large trailer.

People who have been issued with a temporary licence due to a health condition will need a medical certificate in order to have it extended.

Finally, if you have been stripped of your licence due to a health condition or because of addiction to alcohol or drugs, you will need to present a medical certificate to have it reissued.

You don’t normally have to submit a medical certificate, however, if you are renewing an ordinary licence to drive a car or motorbike.

READ ALSO: New digital Danish driving theory test to be offered as English-language version

What health conditions might lead to a driving ban?

In general the conditions that could lead to a ban include:

Dementia
New onset or recurrence of a neurological disorder such as seizures
apoplexy (stroke) affecting perception and/or physical ability
New onset or relapse of mental illness such as manic psychosis, schizophrenia with significant hallucinations/delusions, with or without forced hospitalisation
Heart disease with risk of sudden loss of consciousness
Change in field of vision and/or visual acuity to such an extent that the patient no longer meets the vision requirements even with glasses or contact lenses
Treatment with and consumption of certain medicines

You can find a detailed guide to the various conditions that can lead to a driving ban here, (in Danish), as well as an explanation of the more demanding rules for driving heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses.

If you have such difficulties with attention that it warrants a diagnosis with ADHD, your doctor will judge whether they think you are safe, and if you are you will be issued with a licence valid only for two years, after which, if you have driven successfully over the period, you can have a normal licence.

READ ALSO: What to know about taking the Danish driving test as a foreigner

What can I do if I disagree with the ban?

You still have to follow it and if you don’t, you risk your insurance company refusing to pay out in the event of an accident, and if the police find out, your licence may be confiscated.

If your doctor suspects you of continuing to drive despite a ban, they will report you to the Danish Patient Safety Authority, who may then forward this report to the Danish Road Traffic Authority, who might in turn recommend to the police that your driving licence be revoked .

If they believe your continued driving represents an acute danger, they should contact the police directly.

To have your doctor’s opinion reviewed by others, you need to send their medical assessment to your local municipality, who will forward it to the police, who will then contact you to hear your side of the story, and consult with the Danish Patient Safety Authority before deciding on whether to uphold the ban.

If you disagree with the police’s decision, you can appeal once again, after which the case will be handled and a final decision made by the Danish Road Traffic Authority, which cannot be appealed.

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