Driving in the EU at 17 – level 3

Driving in the EU at 17

23-04-2025 07:00

The European Union is planning to improve road safety by allowing 17-year-olds to drive with a more experienced person beside them.

These young drivers will be under stricter rules, including a two-year probation period and harsher penalties for drunk driving.

Some people support this idea, comparing it to rules in the United States. Others worry that supervision is not enough to prevent accidents. The new law will also improve driver training. Driving tests will now include awareness of dangers to people like cyclists and pedestrians. Another big change is about driver health. There will not be one rule for the whole EU, but countries are encouraged to use similar health checks either through medical exams or self-assessments.

Finally, the EU wants to introduce a digital driver’s license by 2028, although people can still use a physical one. Some are concerned about data safety, but EU leaders say the new system will protect against fraud and hacking.

Difficult words: probation period (a trial period with extra rules), awareness (knowledge of a situation), self-assessment (analyzing and evaluating oneself or one’s actions).

You can watch the video news lower on this page.

Which groups of road users will drivers now need to demonstrate awareness of in the updated driving tests?

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