The permit at 17, a “measure that costs zero” but does not solve all the mobility problems of young people

2023-06-14 19:46:26

“Roll youth ! A few days before the presentation of a plan for youth, following a National Council for Refoundation (CNR) dedicated to this question, the government is advancing its pawns on the theme of mobility. A Macronist bill has already been adopted Monday in Parliament to better inform young people about the financing of the driving license and to reduce the delays before the exam.

Elisabeth Borne also has an announcement up its sleeve, which could be unveiled on June 21: lowering the legal age of the driver’s license to 17 years. The spokesperson Olivier Veran confirmed that it was a “food for thought”. Why such a choice on the part of the government? Who is affected by this change? Can this measure be effective on its own? 20 Minutes make the point.

Why get a license at 17?

The measure has been “under the radar” for a while, reports franceinfo to whom a minister confided. During the first five-year term, a report to renovate accompanied driving had already arrived on the desk ofEdward Philip. Before the Covid crisis comes to bury it. But more recently, it is the Republicans who have regained control of the subject.

Three weeks ago, the group in the Assembly tabled a bill aimed at lowering the age to pass the driving license to 16 years. An idea that was already in the program of Valerie Pécresse in the 2022 presidential election, and who regularly returns to the right. In search of an alliance with LR for the rest of the five-year term, the government may be taking a step to the right.

Who is this measure for?

First of all, the license at 17 “can be useful to many young people in learning or in training, “said Bruno Gazeau, president of the National Federation of Transport Users (Fnaut). In rural areas, but also “in small or medium-sized towns”, “young people do not necessarily have access to the public transport they need”, he points out.

The measure is therefore primarily aimed at young people in professional integration, who need a tool of “autonomy” more to join their business than school bus service, whileEmmanuel Macron wants to reach one million apprentices per year in 2027.
For Marie Chéron, vehicle policy manager at Transport & Environment France, “it’s a measure that costs zero and is aimed at young people”. Passing the younger license could also respond to “a disaffection of youth for the car”, she says, at a time when the Head of State also wants invest in production electric vehicles nationwide.

A self-sufficient measure?

Be careful, however, not to let 17-year-olds go on the road without more control, warns Bruno Gazeau. “We have to make them responsible”, he insists, while 18-24 year olds are involved in 17% of road accidents in France, when they represent only 9% of the population. The president of Fnaut imagines “offering them for a year or 18 months to have fewer points than other drivers”.

“If we want to give young people access to mobility, there are more interesting things like the climate ticket (a single price for the train, editor’s note), but it is more expensive”, slice Marie Chéron. Can ads targeting young people on the train or bike be on the agenda on June 21? For now, we have to be content with 30,000 passes to travel to Germany this summer. But we can say to ourselves, like Bruno Gazeau, that the 100 billion euro plan invested in rail by 2040 will benefit all users, including young people.