IRU, FIA Region I, and ACEA unequivocally oppose splitting the B driving license for cars into two categories, as the European Parliament’s draft report on the EU Driving Licence Directive proposed.
Earlier this year, the European Commission proposed the Road Safety Package to EU legislators, which included amendments to the current directive governing driving licenses for all categories of vehicles in the EU.
The Parliament’s rapporteur leading the revision of the Driving Licence Directive proposes to split the B license into two categories: B license for vehicles weighing up to 1.8 tonnes and B+ for vehicles between 1.8 and 3.5 tonnes.
In concrete terms, this means that most of the current drivers of electric cars (even compact class battery-electric vehicles weigh over 1.8 tonnes due to the battery) and of larger cars and vans will be required to obtain a new category of driving license.
This will affect private and professional drivers of vans transporting people (taxi services or minibusses) and goods (parcel delivery drivers). Today’s rules provide just one license category, B, for all vehicles weighing up to 3.5 tonnes.