One license to rule them all: Euro-wide driver's license approved
Yesterday, the European Parliament made way for a new law that would standardize all 110 licenses currently employed by the 200 million inhabitants of the European Union.The move to issue one license throughout the EU came at the behest of both legislators and safety advocates alike, in an attempt to curtail confusion and eliminate abuses in the current system. A number of problems have arose over the last several years, including the phenomenon of "Driving license tourism", where a person who's had their driving privilege revoked in one country for drunk driving offenses or a medical condition, would then travel to another country to secure a valid license.
This new law would also make staged licensing of motorcyclists mandatory across the EU, where beginners would only be permitted to ride small displacement machines until their competence behind the handlebars was established. The addition of a small microchip inside licenses was also addressed in the new legislation, however such a device would not be mandatory.
As with any bureaucratic endeavor, the status quo will continue for some time, as the law will only go into effect in 2013, with all drivers forced to give up their old licenses by 2033.
[Source: EU Observer, Channel4]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
xulong 9:59AM (12/16/2006)
wow... 110 licenses for 200 million people?
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JON C 10:08AM (12/16/2006)
It's only a matter of time before they put microchips in people.Sorry if I'm a little off point.
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Andrew 11:10AM (12/16/2006)
Graduated licenses, we need this in the states... If I had a nickel for everytime some idiot in a giant car almost killed me... if we had to start with small-displacement, small-cars and work up from there, the inexperienced would be less likely to plow through my car with a 6000+ lb monster...
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L3 11:27AM (12/16/2006)
Safety! Over the Ocean! In 27 years!
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Monkey 12:02PM (12/16/2006)
Knowing someone who had been banned for drunk driving in one country (although not part of the EU), but still could hold on to their UK driving license, this move makes perfect sense.
I should point out that your grammar is wrong here:
"A number of problems have arose over the last several years" - should read ARISEN
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Shawn 12:33PM (12/16/2006)
Andrew, I don't know too many 16 yr olds that drive big trucks or SUVs. Most people start driving in a small used car. Statistics tells us that they cause far more accidents and deaths than soccer moms driving their giant SUVs.
I'm not saying small cars cause accidents or SUVs are safe. Not at all. It is about experience and defensive driving. Unsafe drivers should be banned from driving no matter what they drive.
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Andrew H 12:57PM (12/16/2006)
The European Union has approx 450 million inhabitants. Of those 200 million people have licenses that this new standard will replace. RTFA!
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jason 1:29PM (12/16/2006)
US should do this as well. California DL is like a credit card. All your info is on the back. Its also hard to fake it. On the other hand, Wyoming has a paper looking DL. It has no magnetic strip on the back. The guy stopped could be a killer and it wouldn't come up immediately. We need this in the US too. Its not hard. Have one DL for all.
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MikeW 1:56PM (12/16/2006)
But with the RealID card act national id cards are on the way. Thanks jerks [left and right] who just rubber stamp everything.
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Andy 7:35PM (12/16/2006)
What about the UK? The whole driving thing with Britain and the rest of the EU is hard to mingle.
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Alessandro Merolla 4:32AM (12/17/2006)
Euro-wide driver's license will be a nightmare for Italians?
http://dallapartedichiguida.blogosfere.it/2006/12/patente-europea-il-terrore-degli-italiani.html
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