Around 300 million citizens hold a valid driving licence in the European Union. Community legislation in this field is therefore an essential factor to improve road safety, especially among novice drivers. An appropriate EU framework for a driving licence will also reduce possibilities of fraud and enhance cross-border enforcement. A driving licence is an official document issued by a national authority which states that a person has the necessary qualifications to drive a motorised vehicle. The issuing of driving licences is subject to successfully completing a theory test and a test of skills and behaviour. A specific driving licence exists for each vehicle category with specific requirements and age limit. So far, 110 different driving licence models with different entitlements and validity periods are still circulating in the EU-25. The majority of them does not respect the Community model. This huge number of licences is expected to decrease over the years, as all driving licences issued from 1 January 1983 on will have to conform to the Community model in line with Council Directive 80/1263/EEC. But the current situation will last several decades resulting in hindrance in terms of enforcement. It makes sense, therefore, to strengthen the EU driving licence legislation.(Author/publisher)
Abstract