Overview
- Driving bans for serious offences such as excessive speeding, drunk or drug driving, and fatal collisions will be recognised and enforced across the EU once national transposition is complete.
- A single smartphone-based driving licence must be available in every country by 2030, the physical card remains optional, and licences will carry a standard 15-year validity.
- Harmonised safety measures include a minimum two-year probation period for new drivers and accompanied driving from 17, while mandatory EU-wide health checks for older motorists were rejected.
- To ease driver shortages, the rules allow professional truck licences from 18 and bus licences from 21 under conditions, and permit category B holders to drive certain motorhomes up to 4.25 tonnes after training.
- The directive sets a three-year transposition window plus one additional year for preparation and supports the EU’s Vision Zero targets after 19,940 road deaths were recorded in 2024.