Friday, March 29

Traffic announces a new license for 16-year-olds to drive electric vehicles up to 90 km/h

The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, together with the director of the DGT, Pere Navarro, has announced a new B-1 driving license from the age of 16 for electric vehicles that reach a maximum speed of 90 kilometers/hour and maximum weight of 400 kilograms. Until now these vehicles could only be driven with a B permit, but with this measure, which is already being applied in France with good results, the aim is to promote electric vehicles and the mobility of the youngest in rural areas.

The measure is included in the 2030 Road Safety Strategy presented this Thursday, and in addition to it, the General Directorate of Traffic has announced that it will promote driving tests with cars with automatic transmission, will require compulsory civil liability insurance among owners of scooters and will shorten the license renewal periods for older drivers.

Another important measure is the mandatory use of the airbag for motorcycle driving tests in the driving tests for the A license. On this matter, the minister has said that soon the agents of the Civil Traffic Guard will have this element of protection. The strategy, in the words of Marlaska, has the objective of “saving lives” and is structured into nine priority areas and 62 lines of action which, in turn, are defined in biennial plans.

In the first biennial plan of the strategy, the psychophysical aptitude tests of the Driver Medical Examination Centers will also be updated, a rule that has not been modified in the last 15 years. Together with this measure, the Interior wants to review the renewal periods for driving licenses in line with the European directive, so that they are reduced in the case of older drivers and extended among young people.

Expansion of sections on secondary roads

In addition to the above, in infrastructure, the DGT wants to expand the 2+1 sections on secondary roads –those made up of two lanes in one direction separated by a central reservation– or update the catalog of signals.

The guidelines released this Wednesday are integrated into the 2030 strategy that will be reviewed in four years and that is aligned with the objectives of the United Nations or the EU.

Although the ultimate goal is to reach 2030 with half the deaths on the roads, the Director of Traffic, Pere Navarro, has highlighted several challenges to achieve that goal, such as avoiding distractions at the wheel, which since 2016 have been the leading cause of accidents. fatalities or increase measures to protect vulnerable users – motorists, pedestrians and cyclists – whose deaths already exceed those who die on board four wheels.

Navarro has also pointed out that more work needs to be done on motorcyclists, since they account for 15% of the car park and already represent 27% of the deceased.



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