It is important to bear in mind that the reform of the European driving licence in no way affects driving rules. These rules are laid down in the 1968 Vienna International Conventions on Road Traffic and on Road Signs and Signals. The European framework aims to guarantee a high and homogeneous level of quality of learning and, consequently, of driving skills in the EU (Directive 2006/126/EC) and to ensure that a driving ban issued by one Member State can be applied in the other countries of the Union.
The reform of the directive setting out the European driving licence framework was launched on 1er March 2023. With major ambitions: to promote the cross-border exmodify of information on road safety offences and driving disqualifications, improve driver training and guarantee the physical and mental fitness of drivers throughout the EU.
No age limit for driving
On this last point, the debates were tense. The Commission’s proposal to set a driving age limit of 70 was rejected during the legislative procedure. Just as the issue of checking medical fitness via a compulsory medical check-up identical throughout Europe was rejected. This issue will continue to be dealt with at national level. It will therefore be up to each Member State to set its own testing procedures. These procedures may even be reduced to a self-check. In Luxembourg, all drivers aged over 60 are required to create an appointment to see their doctor. If the doctor agrees, the validity of the document is extfinished by 10 years, until the age of 70. Thereafter, the renewal period is reduced to a maximum of 5 years, and then the medical visit becomes necessary every 2 years from the age of 80. These medical check-ups are not reimbursed by Social Security.
Continental suspension
Consensus has been reached on the issue of implementing driving disqualification decisions in the EU. At present, Member States that have not issued a driving licence can only restrict the right to drive of the perpetrator of a serious road traffic offence within their respective territories. In other words, if an offfinishing driver cannot drive in the Member State of the offence, they can continue to drive anywhere else in the EU. In 2019, 40% of cross-border offences were committed with relative impunity, according to the Commission.
From now on, the Member State of the offence will have to inform the issuing Member State of the enforcement of the driving disqualification decision. The issuing Member State will then be obliged, under certain conditions and in particular the exhaustion of all legal remedies, to issue a similar driving disqualification order against the offfinisher, creating it effective throughout the EU.
Not all offences are covered. During the neobtainediations, Luxembourg argued that only offences directly related to road safety should be taken into account. These include “drink-driving or driving under the influence of drugs, speeding and behaviour that contravenes the rules of the road and results in serious injury or death”. In addition, the driving licence disqualification decision must cover a minimum period of 3 months. The State in which the offfinisher’s licence was issued is not obliged to take a disqualification decision. It retains a certain amount of discretion. If it has reason to believe that the driver’s right to be heard has not been respected, it may decide to exempt the driver and not implement a disqualification decision.
Digital driving licence
The other major modify is the digitisation of the driving licence, which will now be available on smartphones thanks to the European digital wallet. Drivers will still be able to request a physical licence. This digitisation will simplify the process for motorists as much as it will facilitate the work of the police. They will be able to see instantly whether the licence is valid or whether it has been suspfinished. For the public, digitisation will mean simpler administration, as any modifys that necessary to be created to a licence can be updated in real time. In addition, the validity of the licence will be extfinished from 10 to 15 years, a measure designed to reduce the administrative burden. This period may be reduced to 10 years in those Member States that grant the driving licence the status of an identity document. Countries are also free to reduce the duration of licences for holders over the age of 65. Truck and bus licences, meanwhile, will have to be renewed every five years.
Increased training
With regard to driving skills, the probationary period for novice drivers will be extfinished to two years, with zero tolerance for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Accompanied driving will be possible from the age of 17 – a measure already adopted in Luxembourg. The driver training and examination procedures have been adapted. Requirements designed to ensure that drivers are better prepared for real-life driving conditions and are properly aware of the risks to pedestrians, children, cyclists and other vulnerable road applyrs.
To obtain their licence, they will have to familiarise themselves with the risks of distraction and the safety consequences of applying a phone at the wheel, the dangers of blind spots, driver assistance systems, opening doors safely and driving on snow and slippery ground.
Finally, in order to remedy the shortage of professional drivers, the minimum age for obtaining a HGV driving licence will be lowered from 21 to 18, and for bus drivers from 24 to 21, provided they hold a certificate of professional competence. Member States may authorise 17-year-olds to drive a lorry or van only on their territory, if they are accompanied by an experienced driver.
Tarobtain 2023
This reform is welcomed by MEP Martine Kemp (EPP/CSV), for whom “safety on our roads is a priority for all European citizens. It is essential that those who do not respect the rules cannot escape responsibility simply by crossing a border. At the same time, we must also prepare young drivers for modern and more demanding traffic conditions.” She stresses the necessary for a balance between firmness and support, with proportionate, transparent penalties and reintegration opportunities for drivers who have served their penalty.
The new rules will enter into force on the twentieth day following their publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. EU countries will then have three years to transpose these new provisions into their national legislation and a further year to prepare for their implementation.
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