The coalition agreement between the SPD, the Greens and the FDP calls for accompanied driving from the age of 16. European law currently does not allow implementation, the Federal Ministry of Transport says.
The ADAC is still in favor of the lower limit of 16 years “in order to double the learning period,” says a company spokesman. The idea is not new; the topic has been discussed for years in federal states such as Lower Saxony and Bavaria.. More than 241,000 young people under 18 got a driving license in 2022 - significantly fewer than when it was introduced in 2011, according to data from the Federal Motor Transport Authority. The Bavarian coalition agreement states: “We are committed to ensuring that in special exceptional cases (travel to and from work and training facilities) a class B driving license can be issued by the administrative authorities for those aged 16 and over.” The insurer's accident research, Kristin Zeidler, disagrees: "We have doubts as to whether 16-year-olds have sufficient maturity to drive a car safely”