June 2007
The European driving licence must bring standardised testing, says Masterlease
Driving tests should be standardised across Europe – and include tips on greener driving – when the new single European licence comes into effect in 2012, according to fleet management firm Masterlease.
Masterlease supports the plans to introduce a single European driving licence, which would replace around 110 different licences that are currently in circulation. However the company, which operates in 15 countries globally, says drivers should have to meet the same driving standards regardless of the country in which they are taking their test.
The new test should take the best of Europe’s current generic driving examinations including both theory and practice, but it would have to factor in speed, safety and environmental considerations in order to harmonise a recognised standard.
Most of Europe drives on the right hand side of the road, with the exception of the UK and Ireland, but speed limits also vary from between 70 and 80 mph on British motorways, French autoroutes and Italian autostrades. In Germany, there is famously no speed limit on the autobahns although the country’s green lobby could soon introduce top speed restrictions to cut carbon emissions.
Masterlease CEO Nick Brownrigg said: “The idea of a single licence is most welcome – the current myriad of licences is confusing for authorities and a single licence would be more crime-resistant, making it more difficult to pass off a phoney licence in another country.
“Currently it can be an administrative nightmare for employers operating in more than one country. A lot of the administrative burden can be undertaken by a pan-European fleet provider but there is no doubt that a single licence would help hugely.
“However, with a single licence available it would be unfair if driving test standards varied between EU member states. The new licence must therefore bring with it a consistent standard of driving across Europe and, whilst taking into account some local variations such as extreme weather conditions, core driving skills and examination values must adhere to the same high criteria.”
He added that any overhaul of European driving tests would also provide an excellent opportunity to introduce a more pro-environmental approach to driving exams across Europe.
“This would be an ideal chance to educate the next generation of drivers in environmentally-friendly driving. Improved green technologies in vehicles can only do so much to help – a lot of responsibility rests on drivers’ shoulders to ensure they are driving in a way that does not burn fuel excessively,” he said.
© Masterlease