There is currently debate in Europe about ending the lifelong driving license system as a fundamental shift in the outlook on the concept of driving itself, as it is no longer classified as a fixed right that is acquired once and kept forever, but rather a changing social responsibility that requires periodic evaluation.
A report by the French newspaper Le Monde – entitled “Driving is not an absolute right, but a collective responsibility” – indicated that the main problem does not lie in the presence of elderly drivers, but rather in their lack of awareness of the deterioration of their driving abilities, because health decline occurs gradually, and the driver may not be aware of its impact on his ability to make a decision or deal with emergency situations.
This unnoticed decrease in efficiency causes a significant number of accidents, according to estimates by traffic safety experts, which makes the idea of a lifetime license seem less appropriate for a European reality in which the age structure is changing rapidly.
European debate
The parties to the debate focus on the health dimension, and the great legislative disparity between European Union countries. While some countries impose regular medical examinations on drivers starting from a certain age, others allow driving to continue without any periodic evaluation, which has created a legislative gap within a single space that is supposed to be based on common safety standards.
This discrepancy has made the driving license an uncoordinated tool among Member States, and has weakened the effectiveness of European policies in reducing accidents.
The newspaper points out that the call to end the unlimited license comes in response to continuous pressure from traffic safety organizations, which believe that the absence of periodic evaluation poses a risk and makes European roads open spaces for drivers who may have lost part of their basic abilities.
The report highlights another danger related to the technological development in modern cars, which has contributed to increasing some drivers’ feelings of excessive reassurance. With the adoption of smart assistance systems by vehicles, some drivers have come to rely heavily on them to compensate for the lack of human capabilities, which makes any health defect while driving more dangerous because the driver may not realize the limits of what technology can provide in moments of crisis.
Le Monde confirms that one of the reasons that prompted the European Commission to propose the reform is the increase in accidents in which it clearly appears that the driver no longer possesses the necessary mental or visual capabilities, despite having had a valid license for many years.
Hence the idea of examining eligibility periodically as a preventive, not punitive, measure that helps the driver himself and protects others at the same time, which paves the way for redefining the relationship between the driver and the road, so that driving becomes linked to a collective responsibility that goes beyond the individual and is subject to clear evaluation criteria.
New European legal reform
The new legal reform adopted by the European Union regarding the driver’s license constitutes a decisive turning point in the process of modernizing traffic legislation within the continent, as it aims to create a unified system of penalties and ensure that drivers do not escape the consequences of violations as was the case previously due to legal disparity between countries.
According to the Euronews report, one of the most prominent challenges facing Europe for many years was the ability of drivers banned from driving in one country to continue using them within other countries without any significant restrictions, which made the Union’s internal borders practically turn into a legal loophole that allows serious violations to occur that have direct consequences on public safety.
The new reform is based on a crucial principle, which is that the traffic penalty must have a comprehensive effect within the entire European Union. Starting from the entry into force of the legislation, any decision related to withdrawing or suspending a license, or even a temporary ban from driving, will become an effective decision in all member states without exception, as the information will be sent immediately through a unified European data exchange system, while ensuring its access to all competent authorities.
This legal shift, whose implementation was postponed for years due to technical and legal differences, addresses all types of traffic violations and chaos within the European Union.
This reform aims to deal with penalties from the perspective of strong deterrence, as it includes them within a broader concept linking traffic safety and legal justice.
In the past, serious accidents committed by some drivers, whether due to driving under the influence of alcohol, excessive speed, or recklessness, occurred in only one country, while laws did not prevent them from driving in other countries, which led – according to a Euronews report – to bloody accidents that could have been avoided if national systems were actually interconnected.
Under the new system, any driver who lost his license in Madrid, for example, can no longer drive in Paris, Berlin, or Rome, because the penalty or even stripping of his license has become a unified European decision.
In addition to unifying penalties, the reform includes a profound modernization of the database management mechanism. The Union has adopted an advanced platform that links the ministries of transport, police, and licensing centers in member states, and allows immediate verification of the status of any driver, including his legal records and violation points recorded on him.
Euronews described this step as a quiet revolution, which will prevent the manipulation that occurred by issuing multiple licenses or using loopholes related to multiple languages or administrative systems.
The platform will also contribute to accelerating the exchange of judicial decisions between countries, especially in cases related to fatal accidents or serious violations that require urgent measures.
Young people and changing the rules for obtaining a license
According to an official statement by the Council of the European Union, the debate about the future of driving education on the continent is no longer separate from the general debate about ending the license for life, but has become one of its main axes.
The new European conviction believes that driving license reform begins from the same starting point: that is, the moment a young person enters the world of driving, and the accompanying educational, behavioral and health assessment establishes a long path of adherence to safety rules.
The European statement indicates that tightening the sanctions regime and unifying them among member states will make training the new generation on safe driving an urgent necessity, because dangerous or reckless behaviors that were previously dealt with within a local framework are now monitored by Europe and have common consequences within all countries of the Union.
The most prominent transformation is evident in redefining the concept of driving education so that it is no longer limited only to proficiency in controlling the car, but rather includes a wide range of skills related to safety, such as assessing risks, paying attention to the surrounding environment, and understanding modern digital systems inside the car, in addition to the ability to make quick decisions in emergency circumstances.
The European Commission is working, in accordance with reform trends, to introduce new educational modules in driving schools related to correct driving, dealing with pedestrians and bicycles, and night driving, all of which are factors that statistics have shown play a pivotal role in the rates of accidents among new drivers.
The age factor occupies a central role in the discussion, as several countries – such as Germany, Spain and the Baltic countries – are moving to adopt a model that allows young people to drive a car starting at the age of 17 years, provided that there is a qualified companion.
This trend is seen as an experiment that is now on the European reform agenda, as a way to build early experience under direct supervision, which studies confirm reduces the rate of accidents when the driver obtains a full license at the age of 18 years.
However, the controversy has not disappeared yet. There are countries that oppose this model for fear of increasing pressure on road networks or promoting overconfidence among young drivers, while its supporters believe that it fills a practical gap between legal maturity and actual skill.
In conclusion, the European experience provides an important lesson for the Arab world, many of whose countries need to modernize the driver’s license system and link it to periodic checks and unified standards to ensure road safety.