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European Parliament takes a stand on the changes to driving licenses and young people
For some time now, changes to driving licenses have been discussed, such as health checks and temporary driving licenses from a certain age. There have also been discussions about lowering the age for adolescents to drive trucks or allowing them to drive cars earlier, provided the car has a speed limiter. However, the European Road Safety Council is rather critical of the opinion issued by the European Council. He believes that the fundamental principle of contributing to road safety would be jeopardized by the ideas and proposals regarding driving licenses.
On the one hand, there is the issue of lowering the age for driving a truck, which is strongly criticized by the ETSC. Up to now, the recommended minimum age has been 21, although some member states allow drivers from the age of 18, but under certain conditions. One proposal was to allow accompanied driving from the age of 17, although this seems very questionable. For example, a study by the German Insurance Association shows that more accidents involving personal injury occur between the ages of 18 and 20. This would clearly no longer guarantee road safety. Furthermore, Parliament would like to support the proposal to allow young people from the age of 16 to drive, including large off-road vehicles, if they are equipped with a system that limits their speed. However, the Commission also sees this as an increased risk for other, particularly weaker, road users.
Mr. Avenoso, the Executive Director of the ETSC, sees this as a contradiction in terms. On the one hand, the issue of road safety should definitely be tackled and then increased risk factors should be permitted. According to Mr. Avenoso, lowering the age for driving trucks is the wrong approach. Instead, the working conditions in this area should be improved and this area should be tackled. Furthermore, it is not right to allow cars to be driven in any way when sustainable mobility is a priority for Europe. Rather, other options should be brought to the fore and emphasized, such as walking or cycling. In addition, the ETSC fears a kind of unequal treatment, not everyone has the opportunity to offer their children such an option, where wealthier people would probably have a clear advantage.
The ETSC considers some of the proposals to be good, but many are rather questionable and may not be very effective.
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