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Swede, 94, celebrates new driving licence

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Swede, 94, celebrates new driving licence

A Swedish pensioner has had his driving licence renewed as he approaches his 95th birthday and says he plans to keep driving until he is 100 at least.

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Bertil Josefsson from Lidköping, central Sweden, will turn 95 next month and splashed out on a new car to celebrate. He's had his driving licence since before the outbreak of World War II, 1938 to be exact, and intends to keep motoring for a while to come.

"I'll drive for as long as I can. There aren't any limits," the pensioner told the Expressen newspaper.

He added that he takes his shiny new Volkswagen Golf out four times a week from his home in Saleby to catch up with some friends in Lidköping.

"I go into town to eat some cake and talk shit with the old boys," he said.

The 95-year worked as an electrician until he was 80 and was dubbed the "angel of light". He's been a widower for seven years and admits he likes to keep busy, saying that retirement is "hell."

He added that he hasn't much time for speed racers on the roads who he referred to as "idiots".

"There are many idiots in traffic and they drive where they can't even see properly. I drive a maximum of 70 or 80 [kilometres per hour]," he said.

According to the Swedish transport agency (Transportstyrelsen) a total of 6.2 million people have a driving licence in Sweden. Of those 6.2 million it is estimated that 1.5 million are aged 65 or over.

Josefsson says he doesn't know anybody else of a similar age who has a driving licence saying his oldest driving friend is a sprightly 88 years young.

"There are no tricks to be honest. No morning exercise... but I have worked many days where I had to be able to crawl under a house."

The Local/pr

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