A digital driving licence , held on the smartphone and renewed entirely online .
This is the new proposal from the European Commission , contained in a package of legislative initiatives on transport and road safety presented today in Brussels .
It would be the world's first for a digital driving licence , accessible via a mobile phone or other device, and which would be recognized across the EU.
The proposal is that from the age of 17 it is possible to practice driving in accompanied cars and trucks : those who pass the exam will be able to drive alone from the age of 18. Driving license training and testing will take more into account the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, scooters and electric bikes. The data will be shared to make the suspension of driving licenses effective throughout the EU and a tightening of some offenses such as dangerous overtaking, overtaking continuous lines, driving against traffic, with the ultimate goal of increasing road safety and not have deaths on Union roads by 2050.
It will always be possible to apply for a paper license or with a physical card , but the administrative procedures and the replacement, renewal or change of the driving license will be carried out entirely online - and therefore without reminding the agencies or offices of the Civil Motorization.
In 2022, the Commission reported, more than 20 thousand people lost their lives on the roads of the Union , with victims largely among pedestrians, cyclists and users of scooters and motorcycles.
THE NARROW - Among the Commission's proposals, the "zero tolerance" on alcohol for novice drivers extends throughout the EU (a period of two years is envisaged, in Italy it is already three), considering that 2 fatal accidents out of 5 they involve drivers under the age of 30, even though young people are only 8% of all drivers.
More targeted assessments of medical fitness to drive will be made, taking into account advances in the treatment of diseases such as diabetes. Drivers will also be encouraged to update their driving skills and knowledge to keep up with technological developments and the transition to zero emissions will be taken into account: new drivers will be taught, for example, how driving style affects emissions. The permissible mass of a category B vehicle will be changed for alternative fuel vehicles, as zero-emission battery-powered vehicles may be heavier.
As for the possibility of making infringements or driving license suspensions more enforceable at European level, it should be recalled that in 2019 around 40% of cross-border infringements were committed with impunity, because the offender was not identified or because the payment was not made. The Commission's idea is to allow enforcement authorities to access national driving license registers .
In the envisaged extension of the infringements to the highway code, then, it is indicated in detail: not maintaining a sufficient distance from the vehicle in front; dangerous overtaking; dangerous parking; crossing of one or more solid white lines; driving against traffic; failure to comply with the rules on the use of emergency corridors; use of an overloaded vehicle.
(Unioneonline/vl)
