Safety groups urge ministers not to allow teenagers to drive trucks

Safety campaigners have written to EU ministers urging them to reject moves to lower the age at which young people can begin training to drive a heavy-duty vehicle, arguing it could lead to higher numbers of serious road accidents.

EU transport ministers are due to meet on Monday (4 December) to discuss revisions to the EU driving licence directive. Under the Commission proposal, 17-year-olds would be allowed to take their test and commence accompanied driving of lorries to gain driving experience.

But safety campaigners are concerned this change would encourage more countries to allow youngsters to begin solo driving lorries from the age of 18, despite the EU-wide recommendation being 21.

Currently, five of the 27 EU member states permit 18-year-olds to drive lorries under certain conditions: Germany, Finland, Ireland, Poland and Spain.

However, industry says that lowering the recommended age is vital to stemming Europe’s severe shortage of truck drivers, rejecting claims that putting teenagers behind the wheel of trucks and buses is unsafe.

In the run-up to the meeting, the International Road Transport Union (IRU), a group representing the road freight industry, backed measures that would allow young people to become heavy-duty vehicle drivers.

IRU data suggests that the continent faced a shortage of 600,000 drivers in 2022, with the figure expected to rise to almost 2 million by 2026.

This is driven largely by older drivers retiring, without enough young people to take their place. At present across the EU, only 6% of professional drivers are below 25 years old.

“The revision of the EU driving licence provides the possibility to remove one of the major barriers to young people joining the profession: the gap between the age they finish school and when they are allowed to become professional drivers,” the IRU said in a statement following the release of the Commission proposal.

Extending this across the board would “go a long way in reducing the ‘school-to-wheel gap,” said IRU EU Advocacy Director Raluca Marian.

In contrast, safety campaigners argue that “putting a teenager behind the wheel of a 40-tonne lorry risks serious consequences for road safety according to data from countries that already allow it”.

In a letter to EU transport ministers, campaigners say that lowering the recommended age from 21 would put road users at risk, as young people have a less developed perception of risk and are more prone to take chances.

The letter cites research from the German Insurance Association, which suggests that truck drivers between the ages of 18 to 20 comparatively cause a higher number of collisions resulting in personal injury. The same trends are borne out in Finland and Poland, they assert.

In a briefing to journalists, campaign group the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) warned that “cognitive development during puberty can lead to greater emotional instability and more assertive behaviour”.

“Consequently, as road users, young people tend to display risky behaviours and have a diminished appreciation of the hazards that they face.”

“Our message to EU policymakers is: do not lower the minimum ages for any type of driving license but pay special attention to the heaviest vehicles, where crashes can be catastrophic,” ETSC added.

Asked by Euractiv about the safety campaigners’ letter, the IRU said that it “misses the point” as it focuses on solo drivers, which is not the intention of the revision.

“The purpose of the Commission’s proposal is to provide a paid training or apprentice-style scheme whereby the young driver can already be integrated into a job but have an experienced driver next to him or her for one year,” said John Kidd, IRU communications director.

EU transport ministers are hoping to adopt a general approach to the driving licences directive on Monday, while the European Parliament’s transport committee will vote on its own amendments to the proposal on Thursday (7 December).

[Edited by Nathalie Weatherald]

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