2023-06-21 12:02:00
The desire of our French neighbors is to allow young people, apprentices in particular, to have easier access to the labor market. “In Belgium, it is a measure that is not justified at all, notes the spokesperson for Vias, Benoît Godart. “If in certain remote French regions, young people can feel isolated in terms of transport, this is not the case in Belgium”. Our campaigns, “it’s not the Creuse”, he says, considering rather that the measure taken in France is a “counter-fire once morest the wind of opposition blowing once morest the pension reform.”
”It goes once morest the recommendations of the European Union and then it is not the trend at all. There is no request. On the contrary, young people take their license later and later, usually when they start working and the employer requires it,” the spokesperson adds. In fact, in Belgium, fewer permits are obtained at the age of 18. From 37,187 in 2007, their number rose to 29,455 in 2021. In 2022, the number of permits granted to young people aged between 18 and 25 fell by 6.6% compared to the previous year. If we take the Brussels Region, the trend is even more noticeable: 648 young people had obtained their driving license when they turned 18 in 2021, compared to 2,299 in 2007.
More accident risk
Above all, Benoît Godart believes that the measure envisaged in France is not going to improve safety on the roads, because statistics also show that “young drivers run three times more risks than others.” In France, the associations concerned with road safety were not very enthusiastic regarding the government’s project. The risk of accident is also the main argument raised by the Walloon Agency for Road Safety (AWSR). “We know that in accidents, what plays a role is age and driving experience. If we only look at this risk factor, a priori, there is not too much discussion to be had on a lowering of the age of the license”, comments Belinda Demattia.
”Compared to the risk of accidents, opening up the possibility of driving to younger drivers therefore increases the risks per kilometer driven, especially in their first months and years of driving. It is possible that the long-term risk of drivers who started driving earlier is ultimately lower than the accident risk of those who started driving later in life, but this effect is, according to the authors, probably linked the personality and motivations of people taking their license early, compared to those taking it later. The former being motivated by driving, the latter probably rather “forced” to drive for professional activities.
Rather use public transport
“In addition, putting a car in the hands of a 17-year-old might be counterproductive in terms of health and ecology; it might slow him down from using a bicycle, walking or public transport when we are trying to get people to turn more to other, softer means of transport”, adds the head of the AWSR, who nevertheless recalls that, in Wallonia, a young person can take the theoretical exam and already learn to drive in the free sector, accompanied, from the age of 17. On the other hand, he will not be able to drive alone before the age of 18, nor take the practical test. The green minister Gilkinet also shares this opinion: “The priority is rather to develop alternatives to the car, with more affordable prices in public transport, better frequency and reliability of these, a more efficient connection between them and the promotion of active mobility and in particular cycling.”
In general, in the world, the age of the driving license is fixed at 18 years. In Europe, only four countries have lowered the minimum age to 17: Slovakia, Iceland, Ireland and the United Kingdom, and it cannot be said that the road safety statistics of these Anglo-Saxon countries be catastrophic. In Germany, you can also pass your driving license at 17 provided you have started learning at 16, but you can only drive unaccompanied at 18. In Australia, the driving age is also set at 17, and 16 in New Zealand and most of the United States of America. In a rural state like South Dakota, you can even start driving as young as 14.
Violating our roads
But beware, recalls Benoît Godart de Vias, “the European age for the driving license is 18. This means that French holders of a license at 17 will not be able to drive in Belgium”. A draft European directive, he said, is well under discussion to make it compulsory to obtain the license at 17, “but on condition that the young driver is accompanied”. And this directive is not yet approved. “If France is going too fast, there will be no question of accepting these young drivers on our roads. They will have to stay at home, otherwise they might be fined, that’s for sure and certain.” Might as well know.
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