European Union countries agreed their position on new rules to make driving within the bloc safer on Monday (December 4), backing provisions that would allow member states to choose between mandatory medical checks and “self-assessment” to obtain a driving licence.
The revision of the Driving Licence Directive, introduced as part of the Commission’s road safety package, aims to reduce the number of serious accidents on EU roads.
Under the Council’s position, agreed at a meeting of transport ministers, licence applicants must see a doctor to check they are physically and mentally fit to drive – however, EU countries could seek an exception requiring applicants to “fill in a self-assessment form” which would cover relevant medical conditions.
This self-assessment option is seen as less intrusive than requiring a full examination, which some Member States have objected to.
Another controversial provision would have made those over 65 subject to renewing their driving licences more frequently – such as every five years instead of every 10 or 15 – and this was left to the discretion of member states.
It was necessary to formulate this approach in general to obtain the necessary support for the driving license guidance.
However, despite the settlement, German Transport Minister Volker Wessing said Germany would not be able to support the bid, and viewed the self-assessment requirement as an unnecessary imposition of bureaucracy by Brussels.
Germany and Austria had earlier expressed anger at moves to tighten testing requirements for older drivers, calling the measures “discriminatory” and arguing they would hurt the freedom of movement of pensioners.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, EU Transport Commissioner Adina Valian expressed a positive view of the Council’s approach.
“The difficult task of checking the physical and mental fitness of drivers has been handled in a way that can be satisfactory to most people – not everyone, but most – and without diminishing the aspirations of our proposal,” she said.
Member states also agreed on provisions for the introduction of a digital driving licence that can be easily displayed across borders, and stricter requirements for novice drivers during the first two years.
Accompanied driving
Transport ministers also expressed support for new rules that would allow 17-year-old drivers to get behind the wheel of heavy vehicles if they are accompanied by a fully licensed driver who is at least 24 years old.
The European Commission had introduced the provision partly as a way to boost the number of young people entering the road freight sector – a sector that has struggled to keep up with the pace of hiring to match the number of drivers retiring.
Data from the International Road Transport Association, the group representing the road freight industry, indicates that the continent faced a shortage of 600,000 drivers in 2022, with the number expected to rise to nearly 2 million by 2026.
The IATA described the council’s position as “bittersweet” and said EU countries had taken “small steps towards addressing the driver shortage”.
Allowing 17-year-old drivers to drive with a companion would help “attract young school leavers by putting in place a form of paid training under the supervision of experienced professional drivers,” said Raluca Marian, IRU’s EU advocacy manager.
“The bad part is that the Council has made this good measure optional for member states,” she added, encouraging a more even-handed approach across the EU.
In the run-up to the Transport Council meeting, safety campaigners wrote to ministers urging them to reject the accompanied driving provisions, arguing that it could encourage more countries to allow young people to start driving trucks alone from the age of 18, even though the EU-wide recommendation is 21.
Cross-border traffic violations
In addition to securing their position on the driving licence directive, member states agreed on their approach to a law that would make it easier to fine drivers who commit road safety offences abroad, even after they return to their country of residence.
The council overrode commission proposals to add provisions on hit-and-run crimes and drivers who fail to respect rules at railroad crossings.
Member States have also sought to include offences for driving in areas where limited vehicle access is permitted, such as restricted traffic zones or low emission zones.
Protecting citizens
Commissioner Valian said the council had struck a good balance “between flexibility and ability to implement.”
“Safety and sustainability are the winners today, and the compromises have the required level of ambition to better protect our citizens,” she added.
MEP Elzbieta Lukasiewska, the centre-right European People’s Party’s lead negotiator on the driving licence issue, welcomed the Council’s “progressive approach”.
“We are pleased to note the Council’s support for measures that empower young drivers responsibly, as well as the rejection of mandatory medical tests,” she said, adding that this was in line with the EPP’s vision of “not burdening or discriminating against young drivers.”
The Council’s general approach will shape the negotiating position of the Member States in discussions with the European Parliament to finalise the laws.
(Edited by Natalie Weatherald)
