The countries of the European Union, represented in the Council, agreed yesterday that you can start driving cars from the age of 17 as long as it is done - until they reach the age of majority - accompanied by a person over the age of 24 who have had the card for at least five years. However, the final regulations will still have to be negotiated with the European Parliament. Once the last instance approves the new rule, Spain will have two years to transfer the directive to its legal system. In Germany, it is already possible to drive at the age of 17 with the approved theory, accompanied and with a minimum of 20 practical lessons. In France it can be done from next year.
Brussels also proposed a trial period of at least two years for new drivers after taking out their licence, a digital driving license valid across the EU and the use of self-assessments as a filter towards the exam driver fitness doctor. Already in March, the European Commission proposed to modify the directive on driving licenses to improve road safety and facilitate the free movement of citizens within the European Union.
Regarding the figure of the companion, there is an indispensable requirement: the measure prohibits him from having lost his driving license in the previous five years. In addition, it provides that a vehicle can only be driven by 17-year-olds in the same country that has issued the driver's license, and not in the other member states.
The measure arouses disparate opinions in the same sector. Ramon Lamiel, director of the Catalan Traffic Service (SCT), describes the rule as "dangerous" in statements to La Vanguardia. It differs mainly in the age of the companion. "If we take as a reference that until the age of 30 there is no maturation of the executive function of the brain (an aspect that is also shared by the trainers), it would raise the age of the companion up to this age", he says. "The person who accompanies the 17-year-old to this kind of practice must be a mature person, and must be mature both when it comes to driving and in the personal sphere", he adds.
On the contrary, the driving school sector sees the rule as positive. "We understand that it can be a good measure", argues Fernando Lara, vice-president of the National Association of Driving Schools (Anaes). "Yes, as long as there is good training", he adds. He understands that the lowering of the age "is mainly aimed at the world of transport".
Indeed, the Transport Ministers of the Twenty-seven also agreed to lower the age to be able to drive trucks from the current 21 to 18. "If you can start driving a car at 17, at 18 you will be more prepared if you want to drive a truck", Lara points out. Of course, the reduction from 21 to 18 is subject to several exceptions. In fact, the measure would only affect the driving of fire trucks, those used for the maintenance of public order and those undergoing road tests for repair or maintenance.
In Spain, there is a shortage of truck drivers. One of the current measures to alleviate this is the exchange of cards with third countries, points out the director of the SCT. "But we believe that these drivers need training", he emphasizes, which is not required now. Lamiel explains that the average age of truck drivers is high in Spain – over 50 – and that "there is no clear generational gap". That is why this change formula is being carried out, an option that allows these truck drivers to "drive while they are regularizing their situation".
In this sense, he announces that the SCT will launch a training for these professionals - which will not be required, despite the fact that "we have talked about it with the transport companies" - so that they have knowledge "both of the rules driving as well as practical driving".
The Ministers of Transport of the Twenty-seven also aligned themselves with the proposal of the European Commission so that the withdrawal of the driver's license in a Member State automatically implies that that person cannot drive in any country of the European Union.
Currently, this legislation only covers offenses such as speeding or driving under the influence of drugs, and the European Commission wants it to also be extended to cases of driving without keeping a safe distance, dangerous overtaking, driving in the opposite direction or use overloaded vehicles.
The Twenty-Seven added even more crimes to the Commission's proposal, including failure to comply with vehicle access restrictions or rules at a railway level crossing, as well as cases of hit-and-run and escape
Ministers also agreed on a common approach on updating the rules on rest times for professional drivers.
