EU drivers licenses

One of the main focuses of the CIVD’s efforts in 2009 was providing support for German implementation of the Third EC Driving Licence Directive, since the now harmonized European drivers license regulations have major implications for leisure vehicle use. Whereas the classifications of drivers licenses issued prior to 1999 will remain valid,  licenses that have been issued since then (class B licenses) are subject to a severe restriction that did not apply to their class 3 predecessors – namely that cars, motor caravans, and vehicle-trailer combinations are limited to a total weight of 3.5 tons. However, since the early 1990s there has been a clear trend toward heavier leisure vehicles due to the integration of legally required safety and environmental protection equipment, as well as growing consumer demand for creature comforts and other amenities in leisure vehicles.

Thanks to extensive lobbying efforts by the leisure vehicle industry, the Third EC Driving Licence Directive of December 2006 includes a class B+ drivers license for car-caravan combinations weighing 3.5 to 4.25 tons, which covers approximately 42 percent more of all such combinations than would otherwise have been the case.

The modalities for German implementation of the EU drivers license regulations have been under discussion with the relevant decision-makers since 2009, and a definitive decision in this regard is expected in 2010. Initial feedback from the relevant policymakers indicates that the solution favored by the CIVD – namely one-day driver training – is likely to be adopted. The new class B+ drivers license will be available as from 19 January 2013.