EU deal on revoking driving licences for serious offences in another member state
European Union ministers and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on March 26 that will ensure that serious road traffic offenders will soon be held responsible throughout the EU for their offences, independently from the member state where these offences were committed.
Under the current rules, member states that did not issue a driving licence may restrict the right to drive of a serious road traffic offender only within their own territory.
Only the member state that issued the licence can restrict the right to drive throughout the whole EU.
However, with new rules agreed on March 26, the member state of the offence will have to inform the member state of issuance of the driving disqualification enforced.
The member state of issuance will then be obliged, under specific conditions, to impose a similar driving disqualification on the offender, making it effective throughout the EU.
The agreed directive will help ensuring a high level of protection for all road users in the EU, assuring the implementation of driving disqualifications imposed because of serious driving offences such as drink-driving or driving under the influence of drugs, speeding offences; and conduct infringing road traffic regulations and causing death or serious injuries to others.
When the member state of the offence imposes a driving disqualification of at least three months on the driver, and all course of action by the driver against that decision has been exhausted, the member state of the offence has to notify the member state of issuance using a standard certificate via the EU driving licence network (RESPER).
The member state of issuance will then notify the motorist – when possible – within 20 working days of receipt of the notification and will decide whether to implement the disqualification.
In certain cases, for example if the member state of issuance has reasons to believe that the right to be heard of the driver was not respected, the member state of issuance may decide to exempt the driver and not implement a similar driving disqualification.
A March 26 statement by the European Commission said that the Commission welcomes the provisional agreement on a key legislative file aimed at improving road safety.
The first attempts to establish European-wide rules on driving disqualifications began over 60 years ago.
European Commissioner for Transport, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, said: “This agreement represents another major step forward for road safety across Europe.
The new disqualification rules will close gaps that allow dangerous drivers to evade penalties by crossing borders. With nearly 20 000 lives lost on EU roads last year, this initiative will be a crucial element in advancing our goal of reducing road fatalities by 50 per cent by 2030,” Tzitzikostas said.
Today’s agreements follows yesterday’s agreement on modernised driving licence rules.
(Photo: Sardinelly)
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