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European countries are constantly reviewing the conditions for admitting drivers of different age categories to drive vehicles. The latest changes concern both older motorists and the younger generation. The interrelationship of age, road safety and economic needs creates a complex regulatory system where each country seeks its own balance.
Vision Zero strategy changes rules for older drivers
The European Union, as part of its “Vision Zero” initiative aimed at reducing road deaths, is introducing new rules for drivers over 65. From 2024, psychological tests will be mandatory in the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria for the renewal of driving licenses. European Commission research shows that older people have a 23% higher risk of fatal consequences in a road accident compared to younger drivers.
Particularly strict restrictions are being introduced in the UK, where drivers over 70 have lost the right to drive motorhomes and caravans since this year. In Italy, after the age of 75, annual medical examinations are required, including tests for dementia.
However, not everyone supports this approach. Belgian Mobility Minister Georges Gilquin believes that such measures can be discriminatory, as older drivers are often more careful on the road. Lydia Peters, the Flemish minister, believes that “age is not an indicator of competence.”
National systems: from strict restrictions to complete freedom
Medical requirements for drivers vary significantly across EU countries:
- Portugal established the earliest start of mandatory medical examinations — from the age of 50, which is 15 years earlier than the average in the European Union.
- Spain introduces a multi-stage system of checks: after 65 years, a medical examination is required every 5 years, after 70 - every 3 years, and after 75 - every 2 years.
- Lithuania requires health checks for drivers over the age of 55, with an emphasis on vision and hearing.
- France represents the complete opposite — there are no upper age limits in the country, and the extension of rights depends solely on a medical opinion.
Eastern Europe tends to take a more restrictive approach. For example, in Latvia, medical check-ups start at age 60, while in Greece they start only after age 65.
Young drivers: lowering the age threshold causes controversy
The basic age for obtaining a driver's license for a passenger car in most countries is 18 years old, but there are exceptions:
- France, Spain and the Netherlands allow accompanied driving from the age of 16.
- Ireland and Sweden allow independent driving after training from the age of 17.
From 2025, the EU plans to introduce accompanied driving from the age of 17, but with a speed limit of 90 km/h. This has raised concerns among organizations such as GRACQ, which points to statistics: 22% of fatal accidents in France involve drivers aged 18-24.
For trucks and buses, the bar is much higher: 21 years in Germany and 24 years in Belgium. A new proposal by the European Parliament to lower the age for truck drivers to 17 has been criticized on the basis of statistics: young drivers in Finland and Poland are 40% more likely to have accidents.
The contradiction between security and citizens' rights
These statistics paint a complex picture: although drivers over 75 make up only 8% of all road users, they account for 15% of fatalities. This highlights the need for special attention to this age group.
In 2023, Belgium, Germany and Austria opposed a single European rule on a five-year license validity period for older drivers, considering such an approach discriminatory.
A comparative analysis reveals a clear regional divide: Western Europe focuses on individual medical assessments, while Eastern European countries prefer to set strict age limits.
What awaits drivers in the near future
European trends indicate:
- Increasing the frequency of medical examinations for people over 65 years of age.
- Gradual liberalization of rules for young drivers, especially in the field of freight transportation, which is associated with an acute personnel shortage.
- Plans to introduce digital driver's licenses and harmonize age standards for transporting goods by 2030.
Thus, age restrictions in Europe reflect a complex balance between ensuring road safety, respecting citizens' rights and the needs of the economy. Despite the desire for unification of rules, national specificities remain significant, which requires further analysis of their impact on cross-border mobility and road safety.
