Young people do not support the move, believing the earlier they start driving the more experienced they will be when they pass their test.

Sixteen-year-old Jette-Ly Assor enrolled in driving school last fall when she was 15 and a half, which is allowed under the current system. At 16, she applied for a provisional license and has been driving with a supervisor since January.

Getting a license early is popular among young people specifically for the sake of gaining experience, she said.

"Around five of my friends are also currently in driving school, and a few who are a bit older almost have their licenses already. Really, the more experience you have driving, the better. So by the time I turn 18, I'll actually have about two years of driving experience," Assor said.

Fifteen-year-old Jaagup Peetsalu started taking driving lessons a month ago and plans to get his license by summer.

"In that sense, you get much more driving experience in advance through learning, and really, young people do have the desire to drive," he said.

Data from the Transport Administration shows approximately 300 young people apply for a provisional license each year. This means the change will not severely affect driving schools.

"A lot of students start at 15 and a half often end up with a drawn-out learning process, and by the time they're done, they've already realized that going through that interim step of applying for a provisional license does not really make sense," said Raul Kell, head of a driving school in Võru County.

Estonia's proposal for an age limit of 16 was shot down by the European Commission during negotiations over the directive.

"The larger member states were not ready for such a concession. Maybe their young people are not ready to drive that early," said Margus Tähepõld, head of the transport and traffic division at the Ministry of Climate.

Therefore, Estonia has agreed that the new rules will apply for 2029.

"The upside is that this license will be valid across the European Union when driving with a supervisor. And maybe the bigger bonus is that currently, if you get a provisional license, you have to retake both the theory and driving exams at age 18. But going forward, no new exams will be required at 18, you can just continue driving with the same license," Tähepõld explained.

Update: The item was removed from the government's agenda on Friday.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!