The Driving Licence Law is amended
A proposal of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works on the amendment of the Driving Licence Law was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers at its meeting today. The final text of the amendment bill was formulated in its present form following decisions taken at an extraordinary meeting of the Road Safety Council, which focused on the road safety of motorcyclists. Data from road traffic collisions on the road network, according to which 16 motorcyclists and motorcycle passengers lost their lives in 2019, 14 in 2020 and 14 in 2021, were also taken into account, as were the recommendations resulting from consultations held by the Minister of Transport, Communications and Works with almost all organised groups of motorcyclists.
With the proposed amendments to the relevant law, the aim is to properly regulate the driving of learner drivers on the road network, so as to stop the phenomenon of self-education. In addition, the duration of the learner's permit and the appropriate protective clothing to be used by learner drivers and moped and motorcycle drivers during their work are specified, as they are the most prone to road collisions, especially during their work.
Specifically, the Driver's License (Amendment) Act, 2022, provides for the following. The duration of the learner's permit is set at two years. At the end of the two-year period and in the event that the driver has not obtained a regular driver's license, the driver shall be required to undergo the process of examination and issuance of a learner's license again.
2. On-road driving by a learner driver shall be regulated so that learners of all categories of mopeds and motorcycles may be trained on the road, provided that they are accompanied (in another vehicle) and under the direct supervision of a licensed driver trainer.
3. Trainee drivers shall, in addition to a protective helmet, wear the appropriate protective clothing to be worn by a motorcyclist. In particular, in addition to the protective helmet, they shall wear:
- A jacket or vest with luminous stripes,
- Trousers and boots or shoes, and
- Protective knee and ankle pads, gloves and back and hip protectors.
4. Drivers of mopeds and motorcycles while at work shall, in addition to a protective helmet, wear the appropriate protective clothing required to be worn by a motorcyclist. In particular, in addition to the protective helmet, they must wear:
- A jacket or vest with luminous stripes,
- Trousers and boots or shoes,
- Protective knee and ankle pads, gloves and back and hip protectors, and
- An airbag specific to the use of vehicles of categories AM, A1, A2 and A.
The bill will soon be submitted to the House of Representatives for passage into law.
Today's decision by the Cabinet of Ministers is part of a series of actions taken to ensure the greatest possible protection and safety of motorcyclists on the road network.
To this end, the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works is in the final stage of defining the parameters and implementing in 2022 the mandatory technical inspection of motorcycles.
In the same direction, the Ministry will in the coming days put a draft law regulating the establishment and operation of driver training schools for public consultation, with the aim of providing a comprehensive solution to the issue and introducing modern regulations, such as the obligation of lifelong learning of driver trainers, the introduction of the institution of the School of Driver Training Instructors, the categorization of instructors and schools according to the knowledge and training resources they have respectively, the introduction of a procedure for ensuring the quality of the training of drivers, and the introduction of a procedure to ensure the quality of the training of drivers. Through the Plan, all types of protective equipment will be subsidised, with priority being given to subsidising the purchase of protective equipment of the vest-airbag type.
(MKY)
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