EU approves digital driving licences in road safety reform

BRUSSELS: The European Union agreed provisionally on Tuesday to introduce digital driving licences and a probation period for new drivers, as part of a package of reforms to improve road safety.

It also decided that individual EU countries should decide whether to make health check-ups a requirement for obtaining a driving licence.

The deal was clinched early on Tuesday between representatives of both the European Parliament and the European Council, which comprised the EU's 27 national governments.

The reforms are part of a road safety package aimed at halving deaths and injuries on European roads by 2030 — and still need to be formally adopted by both council and parliament.

A plan to make health check-ups compulsory across the bloc was rejected by the parliament last year.

"These revised rules on driving licences are an excellent example of how widespread digitalisation is in the lives of Europeans," said Dariusz Klimczak, the infrastructure minister of Poland, which holds the rotating presidency of the council.

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Tuesday's agreement means a uniform mobile driving licence should be accessible on smartphone wallets for all EU citizens by the end of 2030.

Road users will have the right to request a physical driving licence, the council said.

When issuing licences, countries will either request a medical examination or a "screening based on a self-assessment", parliament said.

Different measures will be envisaged for drivers seeking to renew their licences.

New drivers will be subject to a minimum two-year probation period.

During that period, they will be subject to stricter rules and sanctions for driving under the influence of alcohol, not wearing a safety belt and not buckling child passengers into a safety seat.

About 20,000 people lose their lives in road accidents across the 27-nation EU every year.