EU proposal: special driving license for SUV drivers and lower speed for young drivers

According to MP Delli, the vehicles not only consume more fuel, they also take up more space, the news platform reports Politico. Collisions with an SUV would also lead to much worse injuries than with light passenger cars. This can be read in Delli’s draft report. She guides the European Parliament on the reform of the EU driving license rules. Last spring, the European Commission presented a proposal to modernize the European driving license directive. It is now up to the European Parliament and the EU member states to negotiate the final European rules.

One of the proposals that Delli makes is a special driver’s license for the heaviest passenger cars. According to her, the B driver’s license that is currently required to drive cars and vans is not entirely suitable for the heaviest passenger cars. Instead, the green politician wants a B+ driver’s license for cars and vans that weigh more than 1,800 kilos. Drivers should only be able to obtain this after a two-year probationary period with a normal driving license B. The minimum age for obtaining an SUV driving license should be 21 years old, according to her proposal.

This means that drivers of popular heavy SUVs such as the Audi Q7, the Volvo XC90, the Mercedes G-Class and the BMW X5 would have to obtain an adapted driver’s license. But because this does not concern a specific body shape, the majority of drivers of an electric car should also have that special driver’s license. However, the 1.8 ton limit excludes more than three-quarters of EVs, even though Europe says it is strongly in favor of electrification of the European vehicle fleet.

However, it does not stop there if it is up to the politician from the Europe Écologie Les Verts party. She also advocates a maximum speed of 90 kilometers per hour for novice drivers and an EU-wide points driving license. Furthermore, driving faster than 130 kilometers per hour is not allowed anywhere in Europe. The possible additional measures would be in addition to previously announced changes for EU driving licenses.

While more than half of all new cars sold in the European Union are SUVs, these models have been under fire for some time. Critics often regard them as antisocial cars that, due to their extra weight and height, ensure that in the event of an accident the victims usually sit in the other cars. Moreover, the SUVs are not welcome in many cities because of their size and weight and because they would be more dangerous for vulnerable road users, such as cyclists. They are also often targeted by activists from an environmental movement such as Tire Extinguishers, which regularly deflates the tires of SUVs. They mainly see the SUV as a disaster for the climate due to their fuel-guzzling engines.