EU Affairs Committee wants digital European driving license
The Riigikogu's European Union Affairs Committee says it supports a digital driving license for all member states, both in the interests of safety and of simplifying traffic offences' investigations.
The committee would also like a reduction in the minimum age for accompanied drivers.
The plan is that, in the future, presenting digital driving licence on a device like a smartphone will be viable across all EU member states.
At the same time, the committee feels that the minimum age of driving in the EU could be lowered to 16, when referring to drivers accompanied by an an adult and prior to passing a test. Currently the age is 17.
EU Affairs Committee Chair Liisa Pakosta (Eesti 200) said: "A 16-year-old in Estonia has been a good driver for 30 years (as in the minimum age has been at that level in Estonia since it regained independence-ed.), so it is perfectly reasonable that other Member States should have more confidence in their young people."
"The EU Affairs Committee supported the position of the Government that the European Union recognized the restricted right to drive from the age of 16," she added.
More harmonized rules across the EU were required to enhance safety, but this should not be overdone and this should not limit what were referred to as the good things in life.
According to the Riigikogu EU committee proposal, Member States would be able to exchange information on automatically detected traffic offences and investigate traffic offences more easily, in order to improve road safety.
Pakosta also used the example of drink driving, ensuring that a driver with a ban for that reason in one member state could not then drive in another, in other words an EU-wide drink driving ban would be in place.
Deputy committee chair Maria Jufereva-Skuratovski noted bus services can be sparse in rural areas, making it difficult to get to school and other locations via public transport.
Chief Specialist at the Transport and Traffic Service of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications Mait Klein also gave the committee an overview of the directives, the planned amendments and the positions of the Government, and responded to committee questions.
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Andrew Whyte
