In the EU, driving bans currently only apply in the country that imposed them. The European Parliament would like to enforce it across the EU in the future. A majority of MPs voted in favor of a corresponding proposal.
If a German is forbidden to drive a car in Italy, for example, he is currently still allowed to get behind the wheel in Germany. That should change: in the future, driving bans will apply across the EU, the European Parliament in Strasbourg announced. Accordingly, exceeding the speed of 50 kilometers per hour can lead to the revocation of your driving license. The MPs also want your driver’s license to be lost if you are driving 30 km/h too fast in residential areas.
MPs also voted to add driving without a valid license to the list of serious traffic offenses – like drink driving or fatal traffic accidents. This means that information about the withdrawal of the driving license is automatically shared with the EU state that issued the driving license.
If an EU state has issued a driving ban, it should be clear within 25 days at the latest whether the ban applies EU-wide or not. A uniform regulation should contribute to traffic safety.
Negotiations with the EU states
However, before new rules can come into force, a compromise must be negotiated with the EU states. However, the member states have not yet found a position on the project. Negotiations will only begin after a new parliament is elected in the summer. After such an agreement on a directive, the member states usually have around two years to implement the requirements into national law.
The project was welcomed across all political groups. The SPD MEP Thomas Rudner emphasized that dangerous parking, dangerous overtaking, crossing a solid line and hit-and-run are also recorded and should lead to a driving ban. He also refers to figures from the EU Commission that around 40 percent of cross-border traffic violations go unpunished.
Reduce the number of traffic deaths
The aim is to reduce the number of traffic deaths. EU Parliament Vice-President Jan-Christoph Oetjen said: “Anyone who commits a serious violation of the road traffic regulations in one country has forfeited their right to drive in the EU.” According to the FDP politician, it is important that violations are uniform and clearly defined.
There are different views on the details. The CSU MEP Markus Ferber believes the plan is correct, because it is impossible to explain that the revocation of a driving license in the EU does not work across borders. However, he also advocated that new rules should only apply to serious traffic violations that endanger lives and that there should not be an EU-wide points system based on the German model.
However, German Green MP Anna Deparnay-Grunenberg would like to see such a system. All member states should commit to this, she said. She also supports the EU-wide withdrawal of driving licenses.
Different Rules in EU countries
The rules are sometimes different in the EU countries. In Germany, according to the ADAC, you can expect to be banned from driving for a month if you drive more than 30 km/h too fast in urban areas. The driving license can also be lost because of a violation of the 0.5 alcohol limit or the consumption of illegal drugs.
In Italy, according to ADAC, you have to hand in your driving license immediately and are only allowed to drive to your holiday destination and home if you are driving more than 41 km/h too fast.
According to the Austrian government, the limit for a driving ban there is if you have driven more than 40 km/h too fast in urban areas or 50 km/h outside of urban areas. The same thing can happen when driving wrong-way on the motorway, hit-and-run or when the safety distance is too small. If you drink alcohol above 0.8 per mille, you can expect a driving ban.