Members of the European Parliament have emphasised that serious traffic violations such as speeding and drink driving should result in EU-wide driving disqualifications. Currently, if a driver loses their licence due to a traffic offence in an EU country other than the one that issued their licence, the penalty is typically confined to the country where the offence occurred, without any impact on driving privileges in other EU nations.
To address this issue, the proposed new rules mandate that decisions regarding the suspension, restriction, or withdrawal of a non-resident’s driving licence must be communicated to the EU country that issued the licence, ensuring uniform enforcement across all EU member states.
Additionally, discussions within the EU include the possibility of adding driving without a valid licence to the list of serious traffic offences, alongside drink driving and causing death, which would prompt the exchange of information on driving disqualifications.
Moreover, exceeding the speed limit by 50 km/h is considered a serious offence that could lead to disqualification. However, there are plans to establish a lower speed limit for residential areas, where driving 30 km/h over the speed limit could result in licence suspension or revocation.
In terms of implementation, the European Parliament proposes setting a deadline of 10 working days for EU countries to notify each other of disqualification decisions, with an additional 15 working days to determine if the disqualification should apply EU-wide. MEPs stress the importance of promptly informing the affected driver of the final decision within seven working days.