EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Introduction

Directive 2006/126/EC on driving licences (also known as ‘the third driving licence directive’), was adopted in 2006 and EU countries had to apply all its provisions from 19 January 2013. The directive and its predecessors aim to align rules on driving licences in the EU to improve road safety, to facilitate the free movement of citizens and to fight driving licence fraud. The evaluation assesses to what extent the directive has achieved these general objectives. It aims to establish evidence-based conclusions on the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and EU added value of the directive between 2006 and 2018.

Effectiveness

Road safety

Overall, the directive was found to have improved road safety, despite some limitations in the available data. Certain new provisions of the directive such as the minimum standards for driving examiners, the medical examinations for professional drivers and the tests for drivers of mopeds and motorcycles are thought to have particularly contributed to this improvement.

Harmonisation of the driving licence rules

The directive has further harmonised the driving licence rules across the EU. Nevertheless, differences remain in the administrative validity periods, including when these expired, the requirements for medical checks and their frequency, the practices and requirements for training and testing, the requirements for driving examiners, the mutual recognition of driving licence disqualifications and the recognition of driving licences issued by non-EU countries.

Skills and knowledge

While the directive establishes standards on skills and knowledge for drivers, the related requirements vary considerably by country. There is limited and inconclusive evidence on whether the directive helped improve driving skills.

The directive sets out minimum standards on quality assurance and regular training measures for driving examiners. The related provisions are considered sufficient by most countries to guarantee the quality of training and road safety, although some aspects could be improved (e.g. the communication skills of driving examiners).

Absence of EU rules on mutual recognition of driving disqualifications

The lack of EU rules on the recognition of driving bans issued in another EU country makes it harder to prevent abuse by drivers banned in one country who are still able to drive in another country. This issue has also been the subject of several cases at the Court of Justice of the EU.

Driving licence network / Réseau permis de conduire (RESPER)

RESPER is an effective tool to share relevant information between national authorities but it suffers from quality issues (query errors and incomplete information) and it is not exploited to its full potential, e.g. sharing information on drivers, penalty points, national codes, or a driver’s place of normal residence.

Free movement

The Union model driving licence, the mutual recognition of licences issued in EU countries and the harmonised minimum age limits for the driving licence categories have likely helped facilitate the free movement of citizens inside the EU. By contrast, some provisions that are difficult to apply in practice, such as the one on the place of normal residence, may create obstacles to the free movement. Moreover, the lack of a standard approach to the recognition of driving licences issued by non-EU countries can lead to higher administrative burden, driving licence shopping and barriers for non-EU citizens, including professional drivers.