Law Reform | The controversial reform of driver’s licenses for 17-year-olds will not proceed during this government term

Controversial The reform of driver’s licenses for 17-year-olds will no longer proceed during this government term. The current law will therefore remain in force, so 17-year-olds can continue to get a class B driver’s license only with a special permit and then also drive at night with their friends.

He was the first to tell about the termination of the case News Finn.

Chairman of the Parliament’s Transport and Communications Committee Suna Kymäläinen (sd) says that the committee will not have time to finish its report on the matter, because it has been waiting for the opinion of the Constitutional Law Committee.

“There have been terrible backlogs in the Constitutional Law Committee, and when they didn’t have time to deal with it, we had to say that the matter lapses,” he says.

In the reform, it was proposed that a 17-year-old could, with the guardian’s consent, obtain a restricted driving license of category B, which would not be valid at 00─05. In addition, 17-year-olds could only carry one passenger at a time.

The presentation also suggested that 17-year-old drivers should have affixed a minor driver’s license plate to the car.

Kymäläinen says that the matter had to be sent to the Constitutional Law Committee, among other things, because the proportionality of the restrictions had to be clarified.

“When Finland has, for example, freedom of movement, it was necessary to find out whether such different restrictions can be placed on one age group in relation to others,” he says.

In addition, the Constitutional Law Committee should have found out whether it is proportionate that only one person should be on board.

“During the driving lesson phase, the whole family can be on board, but when you get the card, only one of the parents can be on board and no other family members,” says Kymäläinen.

Kymäläinen says that the show caused controversy right from the start.

“Extraordinary to the extent that no expert was satisfied with that law. Everyone criticized something, and they even disagreed with each other about the things they criticized the show for.”

Kymäläinen says that some think more restrictions would have been needed, others think there were too many and they would have made things more difficult.

If 17 years old the driver does not have a minor license, a 40 euro traffic violation fee will result. Violating the night or passenger restriction would equate to driving without a driving license, for which the police can impose a driving ban on the driver.

One object of criticism in the reform was how the police would have time to monitor compliance with the restrictions. Especially on weekends, the police have a lot of other things to do.

Kymäläinen says that the government did not propose more resources for the police in its presentation.

According to Kymäläinen, one big issue to be clarified was the questions related to the criminal liability of young people.

“Underage is a mitigating factor, and if categorically all 17-year-olds have the right to drive and young people are already clearly overrepresented in the statistics in terms of carjackings and others, would there be more of these criminal law problems,” he says.

Reformation restrictions and other means were intended to improve traffic safety. The driving training would have included, for example, risk recognition training, slippery weather track practice and more theory teaching.

In addition, after the driving ban, he would have had to undergo mandatory driving ban training. Minister of Transport and Communications Timo Magpie (sd) considers it unfortunate that the changes related to improving traffic safety will not come into force in terms of overall traffic safety.

“Especially when we have now reached a good career. For the first time in the entire measurement history, last year we had less than 200 traffic deaths,” says Harakka.

When the reform could not be completed, the current law will remain in force. Currently, 17-year-olds can get a driver’s license with an exception, and there are no restrictions on their right to drive at night or the number of passengers.

Harakka says that the next government can decide whether it is good to maintain the current state without restrictions or whether it wants to interfere with it.

Harakka considers the bill to have been exceptionally thoroughly prepared, a lot of research and investigation work had been done for it. According to his view, the parliament has also had sufficient processing time.

Kymäläinen says that even if the committee had completed the Constitutional Law Committee’s statement and its own report, changes would probably have been made to the original proposal.

“When we had discussions in the committee, there was such an atmosphere that we would have had to make changes to it. As it is, it would hardly have come out of the committee,” he says.

Vice-chairman of the Transport and Communications Committee Ari Torniainen (center) says that when the matter was reviewed, he is glad that the change did not take effect.

“There would have been so many uncertainties. A lot of follow-up would have had to be done to see if it works or not.”

According to Torniainen, it would also have been good to know earlier whether there will be a change in the law or not, whatever the final outcome.

“There are families who have been waiting and thinking about whether they will apply for an exemption or not.”

Originally, the law change was supposed to enter into force in October last year.