Success for Austria: New EU driving license guidelines bring security!

Success for Austria: New EU driving license guidelines bring security!

Brüssel, Belgien - On March 26, 2025, Mag. Roman Haider, European Parliamentarian and traffic spokesman for the "Patriots for Europe" faction, expressed positively about the negotiation results on the reformed EU driver's license directive and the driver's license. According to OTS , the overwork was successful and the Austrian L17 lead as a model for all of Europe. This was particularly important because at the beginning of the negotiations, the then rapporteur wanted to ban the L17 driver's license from the Greens and planned excessive requirements for seniors and young drivers.

The new regulations enable young people to acquire a moped certificate from the age of 14 and from 17 years of age to acquire the B certificate in their own country. The emergency vehicles from the volunteer fire brigade and medical services also benefit from an improved regulation regarding the permissible weight. Another progress is the elimination of age discrimination by the new guidelines.

improved traffic safety in the EU

As part of these changes, a uniform regulation for the driver's license withdrawal guideline was also introduced, which addressed concern about previous unequal treatment. So far, drivers from certain countries have continued to drive in another EU state after a violation, while Austrian citizens lost their driving license. In the future, the driver's license will only be withdrawn in the event of serious violations such as the influence of alcohol and drugs and serious accidents, while the original suggestions for a Europe-wide license withdrawal were averted in the event of minor violations.

The new regulation aims to reduce bureaucracy and avoid excessive penalties by responding specifically to serious violations. This corresponds to the goal of the EU to significantly improve traffic safety, where almost 20,000 people are harmed annually. The comprehensive reform package also includes measures such as a digital wallet for driver's licenses, a trial period for beginners and training courses for safe cell phone use and for driving under difficult conditions. This information was confirmed by innovations for beginners and vehicles

The reform stipulates, among other things, that the minimum age for the truck driving license is reduced from 21 to 18 years. The new minimum age for bus leaders is 21 years, while 17-year-old trucks or vans can only drive accompanied by an experienced driver. The regulations for driver's licenses now apply for a period of 15 years, whereby national authorities in the EU have the opportunity to shorten them to 10 years. Truck and bus guide notes have to be renewed every five years, whereby the validity can be shortened for drivers aged 65 and over.