If you are 50, the doctor will decide if you are fit to hit the road.

The transport department has announced restrictions on the issuing and renewal of driving licences for those above 50 years of age.

The existing rules state that anybody above 18 years is entitled to get a licence, which is automatically renewable every 15 years without any age bar on application.

Now, all drivers above 50 years who need a licence renewal will have to face a medical test to ascertain his or her fitness level.

?Our move is to ensure no driver who is physically unfit and has poor eyesight can sit behind the wheel,?? said transport minister Subhas Chakraborty.

?We will issue or renew a driving licence even to an 80 or 90-year-old, but only if he or she is found fit. We have to keep in mind that many lives are in the hands of a driver,? he said.

Out of nearly 2,500,000 driving licence holders in the city, issued by the public vehicles department, around 1,000,000 drivers are 50 years or more.

Another 500,000 licence holders under the Alipore and Barasat Regional Transport Offices have crossed the age bar.

Regulations would be particularly stringent for drivers of heavy vehicles.

?If we find the person is physically fit, free from any age-related disease and has good eyesight, we will renew the driving licence for two years for commercial vehicles like buses, trucks and taxis,? said Manab Chakraborty, assistant director, public vehicles department (registration).

A renewal of a private vehicle driver?s licence will be valid for five years. Every subsequent renewal would also require a medical test.

Those applying for a new driving licence after the age of 50 (though this number is very small) will have to clear the medical test as well.

Fifty-plus people suffering from ailments like hypertension, respiratory or cardiac disease, a cataract, or those who have undergone major eye surgery or wear high-powered glasses may not have their licences renewed.

There are many truck drivers wearing high-powered glasses, said officials, who estimate that over 60 per cent of licence holders over 50 are likely to lose their permits.

The new age restrictions will be enforced with the help of a specially-designed software. The central government has developed Bahan for Blue Book processing and Sarathi for driving licence issue.