Lawmakers narrowly back mandatory medical checks for EU driving licences

By a single vote, the European Parliament’s transport committee agreed its position on the EU driving licence directive update on Thursday (7 December), supporting controversial provisions that would make medical checks obligatory to obtain a new licence.

The vote passed in the transport committee with 22 MEPs in favour, 21 against, and two abstentions, reflecting the significant divide over the substance of the text.

Karima Delli, the Green lawmaker in charge of the file, said the Parliament position “reminds us that a driving licence is a tool in the service of road safety”, and that the new rules would help the EU to achieve its goal of cutting the approximately 20,000 annual road deaths in the bloc by 50% by 2030.

Under the draft rules, a medical professional must certify that drivers are free from conditions that could make them less safe while operating a vehicle. This would apply to both new drivers and those renewing their licence.

While eyesight testing is considered to be standard, the precise medical requirements, as well as the authorities that can implement the medical checks, will be up to each EU country to define.

Greens and socialists had pushed for medical checks to be a requirement rather than an option – as is already in place in several EU countries – arguing that doing so is necessary to rein in serious road accidents. However, they faced a strong backlash from conservative lawmakers, who branded it an unnecessary restriction.

MEP Elżbieta Łukacijewska, the centre-right EPP group’s chief negotiator on the driving licence file, said the group “will continue our fight to preserve mobility and independence of citizens without subjecting them to unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles”.

Given the closeness of the vote, it’s understood that the EPP group is aiming to water down or delete the amendment during the plenary vote, in which all MEPs must sign off on the Parliament’s position, expected to take place in January or February.

In the Council, the institution representing EU member states, ministers agreed to allow countries to impose mandatory medical checks or to allow for a “self-assessment” option, in which drivers would certify their own medical and mental fitness to drive.

To the frustration of the Greens, a move to shorten the validity of drivers’ licences for those over the age of 70 was rejected from the Parliament position. In the run-up to the vote, the EPP group mounted a campaign against the proposal, slamming it as discriminatory and alleging it would harm the mobility of pensioners.

Under the committee’s stance, older drivers would be subject to the same renewal period as other drivers, with MEPs agreeing licences should be valid for at least 15 years for motorcycles, cars and tractors, and five years for trucks and buses.

The Parliament also tightened the level of alcohol that can be consumed by newly-qualified drivers before getting behind the wheel to 0.2 grams of alcohol per litre of blood. However, as the majority of countries already have such a limit, the move would only affect Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark and Finland. 

Accompanied driving

Parliamentarians additionally voted to permit 17-year-olds to begin driving trucks if accompanied by a professional driver – a measure supported by the road freight industry but decried by safety campaigners.

The road freight industry framed the measure as vital to shoring up the number of lorry drivers on European roads, pointing out that more drivers are retiring than joining the industry.

According to the International Road Transport Union (IRU), a group representing the road freight industry, Europe currently faces a shortage of some 600,000 drivers for trucks, coaches and buses, with the figure expected to rise.

The IRU called Thursday’s vote “a considerable step forward in eliminating crucial barriers discouraging entry into the bus and truck driver profession”.

However, safety campaigners warn that such a provision paves the way for a greater percentage of heavy-duty vehicles to be driven by teenagers, whom they argue are more prone to take risks behind the wheel.

While the EU-wide recommendation is 21, currently five member states permit 18-year-olds to drive lorries: Finland, Germany, Ireland, Poland and Spain.

“This legislation was introduced under the banner of a ‘road safety package’ – but frankly if we end up encouraging large numbers of teenagers to drive lorries the consequences will be devastating,” said Ellen Townsend, policy director at advocacy group the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC).

Following next year’s plenary vote, the European Parliament will enter into discussions with member states to finalise the legislation.

[Edited by Nathalie Weatherald]

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