Car driving – Photo John Karakatsanis from Athens Greece
(STRASBOURG) – Mobile driving licences, self-assessment of fitness to drive and better awareness of pedestrians are some of the changes to EU driving licence rules agreed by the European Parliament Wednesday.
With more than 20,000 lives lost on EU roads every year, MEPs backed reforming the EU’s driving licence rules to make sure they contribute to road safety and to the EU’s green and digital transitions.
MEPs want drivers to be better prepared for real driving situations and be more aware of the risks, in particular for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, children and cyclists. They say drivers’ tests should also include driving in snow and slippery conditions, safe phone use while driving, blind spots, driver-assistance systems and ensuring it is safe to open the vehicle doors.
Driving licences should be valid for at least 15 years for motorcycles and cars, and five years for trucks and buses. But they did not support reducing the validity of driving licences for elderly people, proposed by the Commission, to avoid discrimination and to ensure their right to freedom of movement and participation in economic and social life.
MEPs agreed with drivers assessing their own fitness to drive when a driving licence is being issued and renewed, letting EU countries decide if the self-assessment should be replaced by a medical examination with a minimum set of checks on drivers’ eyesight and cardiovascular conditions amongst others. However, they wanted EU governments to put more effort into raising public awareness of mental and physical signals that may put a person at risk when driving.
Inexperienced drivers would have to undergo a probationary driving period of at least two years during which they would be subject to certain restrictions, such as stricter alcohol limits while driving and stricter penalties for unsafe driving.
To mitigate the shortage of professional drivers, MEPs also agreed to allow 18-year-olds to obtain a licence to drive a truck or a bus with up to 16 passengers, provided they hold a certificate of professional competence. In addition, 17-year-olds should also be eligible for a driving licence for cars or trucks if accompanied by an experienced driver, the draft says.
To support the EU’s single market, MEPs favoured introducing a digital driving licence, which can be available on a mobile phone and is fully equivalent to a physical driver’s licence.
Following first reading, the draft rules on EU driving licences need to be followed up by the new Parliament after the European elections on 6-9 June.
Further information, European Parliament
