A fatal accident occurred at Causeway Bay's Sun Hung Kai Plaza on Tuesday (5th), when a taxi is suspected to have veered onto the pedestrian path at the underground entrance of the Sun Hung Kai Hotel, killing a 35-year-old Filipino male tourist. The 80-year-old taxi driver involved in the incident was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving causing death. The tragedy has once again raised public concern about the physical condition of elderly taxi drivers. Currently, taxi drivers over the age of 70 are required to undergo medical examinations every three years. In 2023, the government proposed lowering the age threshold to 65 and increasing the frequency of medical checks to once a year, but no progress has been made so far. Legislative Council member Tin Pak Sham criticized, 'What is the reason for discussing this in 2023 and still not legislating by 2025?' Tin Pak Sham proposed that drivers aged 75 or above should have daily maximum working hour requirements. Regarding calls for mandatory retirement ages, Chan Hang Fook believes it would be difficult to implement, noting that at least 10% of drivers in the industry are 70 years old or older. Setting a retirement age could lead to a shortage of personnel in the industry and affect the livelihoods of elderly drivers. However, he mentioned that the government plans to increase the requirement for drivers aged 65 to undergo medical checks every other year, which is expected to help reduce accidents. As of the end of February this year, there were over 210,000 people in Hong Kong holding valid taxi driver licenses, of which more than 37,000 were aged 70 or above, and nearly 94,000 were aged between 60 and 69, accounting for 17.6% and 44.5% of the entire industry, respectively. Together, they make up more than half of the industry. The total number of traffic accidents involving these two age groups increased from 2,055 in 2021 to 2,672 last year, an increase of 23%. In the first two months of this year, the total number of traffic accidents involving these two age groups was 339. Currently, the law stipulates that commercial vehicle drivers over the age of 70 must undergo medical examinations every three years. In mid-2023, the government proposed to the Legislative Council's Transport Committee to lower the age threshold for submitting medical certificates from 70 to 65 and change the frequency to once a year. However, more than two years have passed since then, and no progress has been made. Tin Pak Sham, a Legislative Council member of the Realpolitik Forum, expressed dissatisfaction with the legislative progress, saying, 'This government has explicitly stated its intention to speed up and improve efficiency, and many details have already been discussed. What is the reason for discussing this in 2023, yet still not legislating by 2025?' He also pointed out that mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, and Singapore have already implemented mandatory retirement ages for taxi drivers, but Hong Kong has not followed suit. He called on the government to legislate by the first quarter of next year, requiring commercial drivers over the age of 70 to undergo annual medical checks and to respond to the party's proposal to set daily maximum working hours for drivers aged 75 or above. Chan Hang Fook, a Legislative Council member of the Democratic Party and a member of the Transport Committee, stated that the government's earlier proposal to require annual medical checks for drivers aged 65 has been considered too strict by the industry, and they hope the government can relax the regulations. Hence, the government is still adjusting the proposal. When asked whether he believes the government has wasted two years, he mentioned that over 100 bills were passed in the Legislative Council in the past two years, many of which involved taxis, so the mandatory medical check bill has to 'queue up,' and it is unlikely to be passed in this session, but he also believes 'it seems to have taken some time.' Regarding the proposal by some legislators to set mandatory retirement ages for commercial vehicle drivers, Chan Hang Fook believes it is difficult to implement, saying, 'Of course, safety can be ensured, but the problem is that the human resources structure in Hong Kong's driving industry is not sufficient.' He pointed out that at least 10% of drivers in Hong Kong are 70 years old or older, and with the overall aging of the industry, the number of elderly drivers will increase in the coming years. He believes that only when the industry has sufficient human resources can the issue be considered. He also mentioned that, as far as he knows, the government will submit a bill at the beginning of next year. The medical check requirements will be divided into two tiers: drivers over the age of 65 will be required to undergo mandatory medical checks, and the frequency will be determined by the doctor's judgment, either annually or every other year. For drivers over the age of 70, annual medical checks will be mandatory. If the bill is passed smoothly in the first quarter of next year, it is expected to be implemented as early as the second quarter.