The revised rules are part of a major road safety initiative presented by the Commission in March 2023. The purpose is to increase road safety with a target of zero dead in traffic to 2050.
Digital driver’s license has long been on the wallpaper, which is now becoming a reality.
However, there are other new rules that affect Swedish drivers.
For example, there is now an agreement on stricter rules for two years for new drivers. It is specifically about the consequences of driving alcohol -affected or without a belt.
Members of the European Parliament agreed to urge EU countries to introduce zero tolerance against alcohol and drugs for all drivers.
A proposal also includes the reduction of the age limit for large and heavy vehicles.
Instead of today’s 21, 18-year-olds should now be able to take heavy driving licenses.
17-year-olds should also be able to drive a truck or van in their home country unless it has a companion with it.
– More digital, more flexible and with less bureaucracy. At the same time, we send a clear signal of increased road safety in accordance with the zero vision: fewer accidents, fewer injured and fewer deaths on our roads, says Jutta Paul, the EU Parliament’s German rapporteur.
However, everyone is not entirely positive:
– 18 years is quite young to drive a heavy vehicle, and the consequences of an accident are much worse when it is such a heavy vehicle. Combined with the fact that young people are generally over -represented in the accident statistics, we can have our concerns about the consequences of this rule, says chief consultant at FDM Dennis Lange.