The Ministry of Transport and Communications will review the criteria for 17-year-olds to obtain a passenger car licence, according to a press release issued by the ministry on Tuesday.
The 2018 reform of the Driving Licence Act reduced the amount of mandatory driver training and made it easier for 17-year-olds to obtain a passenger car licence with a special permit.
The ministry has been closely monitoring the effects of these legislative changes. Evidence suggested that the changes may have had some negative impact on road safety.
“We are not planning to raise the minimum driving age, but we will review the criteria for granting age exemptions. We will also reassess the entire system of driver training with traffic safety as the priority. It is clear changes are needed in both practical and theoretical instruction that apply to learner drivers of all ages. Remote learning and simulators cannot replace in-person instruction provided by professionals,” said Minister of Transport and Communications Lulu Ranne.
Young drivers are overrepresented in traffic accident statistics. However, 17-year-old drivers do not, in general, stand out significantly from other young age groups.
Although traffic safety has improved steadily in Finland over the years, and the number of traffic fatalities has remained below 200 for several years, these recent accidents reminded that the country is still far from the goal of zero traffic deaths by 2050.
At the beginning of the current government term, the ministry convened a roundtable discussion on the traffic safety of children and young people, bringing a wide range of stakeholder representatives together.
The government will take various measures to ensure traffic safety including bringing amendment to the law on young drivers’ licences based on evidence.
“Finland is a country of long distances on rubber wheels where young people must be able to move around safely, as necessary. Together, we must ensure that young drivers enter traffic with better skills, knowledge and the right attitude. The goal is, of course, for every young person to return home safely,” the minister added.
- Young drivers
- Licence
- Criteria
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
