2024-01-01 15:48:11
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne had promised in June that it would be possible to “get your license at 17 and drive at 17”. This will be the case from January 1, 2024, according to a decree published on December 20.
What’s new?
For a century, the driving license is only issued from the age of 18. However, people who had registered for early learning to drive (AAC, or accompanied driving) could already take the practical driving license test from the age of 17. On the other hand, after passing the test, they had to wait until they reached the age of majority to drive alone.
France is not the only country in Europe to allow young people from the age of 17 to drive alone. This is the case for Iceland, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Slovakia.
How many people are affected?
This reform concerns all young French people who will be 17 years old in 2024, or 860,677 people, according to INSEE. Due, in particular, to the lack of public transport, a driving license is a priority for young people living in the countryside: 77% of 18-24 year olds in rural areas have a license, compared to 65% of young people living in cities. average, and only 50% of the inhabitants of the Paris metropolitan area, according to the National Institute of Youth and Popular Education (Injep).
In his interview with BrutElisabeth Borne insisted on a very specific category, explaining that the license at 17 would be “a real plus” for apprenticeship students in rural areas, who must alternate between their training center and their company. In 2022, 17-year-olds represented 7.3% of apprentices, or around 62,000 people (and up to 158,000 if we count all apprentices under 18), according to the Dares.
In practice, we observe that many young people are in a hurry to obtain their license as soon as they have the opportunity: 262,325 candidates obtained, in 2022, their license at the age of 18, which constitutes by far the most represented category. And 93,100 more take the test at the age of 17, with the expectation of being able to drive solo on their eighteenth birthday.
Is there a risk of traffic jams for the driving license test?
This is what some critics of the reform fear. Registration for a driving license will be open in 2024 to young people aged 17 and 18, i.e. two generations instead of one usually each year, which represents more than 1.7 million people. However, even before the reform, the deadlines for obtaining an invitation to the exam were very unequal, depending on the prefectures; according to Ornikaran online driving school, they can go from two weeks on average in Gers to three months in Bouches-du-Rhône.
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