Wonders never cease. After so many years, the cops have made a startling revelation. It seems that senior citizens – those above 60 – cannot drive to save their lives.

Apparently, they are beating red lights – and whatever other offences you commit at road junctions – and, worse, driving against the traffic, causing accidents and probably killing people.

Having just celebrated my 61st birthday, I was of course alarmed. I didn’t know that I had been doing all that. No one had alerted me to the signs.

Since I have been pretty much stuck at home, with the car parked quietly outside, I did a quick Google search on which old fogeys have been going the wrong way. And this is what turned up.

Sept 12, 2021: A guy drove a Mitsubishi Triton against traffic and killed two teens. He is 24.

April 22, 2021: A man drove against the traffic flow on the BORR in Butterworth and got himself killed. He was 43.

Jan 10, 2021: A woman was arrested for driving a car against the traffic flow on the Senai-Desaru highway near Masai. She is 46.

June 2020: A former part-time model was jailed for driving against traffic, killing another driver. She was 22.

These are just some of the latest examples and there’s a lot more where that came from. But where were the old fogeys, who had apparently lost their faculties and were driving the cops up the wall?

Who exactly was federal traffic police chief Azisman Alias complaining about?

He said there were many cases involving senior citizens who were caught driving against the flow of traffic and committing other offences, especially at traffic lights and road junctions.

He wanted these elderly drivers to take aptitude or cognitive tests.

It was bad enough that he was making insinuations about offences that we never committed. But calling us senior citizens at 60? That was the deepest cut.

Older person, more mature person – I can accept those, but senior citizens? That was a low blow, coming from a man who himself is about to retire in a week or so.

When he does, Azisman is not likely to have an official driver. Surely he would like to take the wheel himself and go for a drive every now and then, without people questioning his mental abilities and motor skills?

I will have him know that even under World Health Organization (WHO) rules, those between 60 and 65 are considered older people, not senior citizens. That is for those above 70 (although I will probably deny that when, or if, I hit that age).

There is even a WhatsApp message going around that WHO has defined those aged 18 to 65 as young, those from 66 to 79 as middle-aged, and only those above 80 as elderly or senior.

Like most WhatsApp messages, it may not be true but 60, I say, is the new 40.

The traffic chief, meanwhile, had statistics to back his claim. He said that 17% of accidents involving road deaths were caused by these older citizens.

Well, wait a minute, Mr Policeman!

Don’t you think you should be acting instead against the 83% of under-60s who cause these accidents and deaths?

Why this persecution of the minority? We already have much discrimination of minorities in the country – by race, religion, gender and others. All those are messing up our country in the eyes of the world. And now you want to do it by age?

Whether the traffic chief agrees or not, I believe he should be worrying about the younger ones behind the wheels.

Those drivers of souped-up cars, those high on alcohol, meth and ketum and the Mat Rempits are all well below 60, I should think. And don’t even get me started on those Mat Lajak kids.

On a serious note, yes, we do need to test those who are sick and have problems – whatever their age – and have doctors certify their fitness to drive. But to pass a law that would restrict older people from driving?

I don’t think so. Our leaders really should do something about these skewed views.

After all, most of them are 60 plus too and should be sympathetic to the cause. We have an ex-prime minister who is 95 and ready to give it another shot, the prime minister is 61, his predecessor is 74, Bossku Najib Razak is 69 and wannabe premier Anwar Ibrahim is 74.

If these guys have enough control of their faculties to run the country, I would think most 60-somethings should be able to have enough control over their limbs and brains to drive a car.

But then again, looking at the state of the country and some of our policies, maybe we should listen to Azisman and pass that law after all.

Get the 60-somethings to undergo tests before they can drive – and before they can stand for elections.

That way, we can leave the driving – and the country’s leadership – to younger people.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.