Overview
- Italy’s transport ministry confirmed this week that a circulated draft which would have auto-applied restrictions for drivers aged 85 and older has been withdrawn and remaining entries will be deleted so fitness-to-drive stays an individual medical decision.
- German ministers are pressing a broad driving-licence reform that would shorten the minimum practical test from 30 to 25 minutes, cut the theory question catalogue, allow fully digital theory lessons and expand simulator and private supervised practice options.
- Safety groups such as the TÜV warn the shorter practical test could make it harder to reliably judge competence, while driving instructors and local traffic clubs argue against blanket age rules and prefer voluntary refresher checks and targeted training.
- Reform advocates say the German package could make training more flexible and, for some learners, reduce costs by cutting mandatory special drives and enabling private practice, but independent analyses say average savings are uncertain and depend on each learner’s needs.
- Austria will enact technical changes on September 1 that move C/D licences aged 60+ to a five-year general validity and extend Vienna Convention international permit validity to three years, showing parallel administrative updates in the region.