Many driver's license holders have a key number on the back of their credit card. What this means in concrete terms is often unclear. The number 174 gives a practical additional permit.
Kassel – On the back of driving licences in credit card format, national and international key digits are listed in addition to all existing vehicle classes and the date of issue of the respective driving licence. They are located on the far right in column number 12 and indicate additional information, conditions and restrictions of the driving licence. The key number 174, for example, gives road users an additional permit that younger drivers no longer have today.
But in addition to the meaning of each individual digit, the position of the key numbers is also of great importance. If they only apply to individual driving licence classes, they are right next to them, explains the ADAC in a report. However, some key numbers also apply to all classes and are then in the lowest line of the driver's license.
The number of digits is also relevant. According to the ADAC, a three-digit key number is only valid within Germany, while two-digit key numbers are valid throughout the EU. The holder of the driving licence is usually informed of the meaning of the registered key numbers when his driving licence is issued. It is also written down in Annex 9 of the Driving Licence Ordinance (FeV). Despite this, many are unaware of the importance of key figures.
On the back of a driver's license, a key number is often indicated in box 12. The number 174 plays a major role, especially for older road users. © Goodphotos/Imago
Key number 174 on the driver's license only valid in Germany
The ADAC has listed a large number of the key figures and their meanings on its homepage. For example, the key number 01.01 represents a pair of glasses. The number 78 means "Only vehicles with automatic transmission". In this case, both regulations apply throughout the EU. The situation is different with the key number 174, which is only valid in Germany.
As the ADAC explains, the new driving licence classes differ in part from the scope of previous authorisations. Accordingly, an old class 3 car driver's license does not correspond to today's class B passenger car. In order to secure the existing driving authorization and at the same time to adhere to the innovation, the additional information is entered when exchanging the driver's license.
Authorization to drive tractors and trailers by the key number 174
But what additional justification does the national key number 174 confer? This is described in the Ordinance on the Admission of Persons to Road Traffic, or Driving Licence Ordinance (FeV) for short, as follows: "Class L, also valid for driving tractors with a maximum speed of not more than 40 km/h determined by the design, also with a single-axle trailer (whereby axles with a distance of less than 1 m from each other are considered one axle) as well as combinations of these tractors and trailers, when they are driven at a speed not exceeding 25 km/h'.
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What this means in concrete terms, explained traffic law expert Martin Vaupel from the Lower Saxony Chamber of Agriculture to the news portal for agriculture agrarheute. According to Vaupel's explanation, in the past, a class 3 driving licence allowed to drive vehicles with a maximum permissible mass of 7.5 tonnes. The maximum speed of the tractor was allowed to be over 30 km/h and it was also allowed to drive fast with single-axle trailers. Only two-axle trailers were not allowed to drive faster than 25 km/h. In the past, classes 3, 4 and 5 were not tied to agricultural or forestry purposes – unlike today's driving licence categories L and T.
Holders of such a driver's license are still allowed to do all this on the road today, officially the key number 174 ensures this. Therefore, according to the report of agrarheute, the owners of an old driving licence of classes 5, 4, 3 and 2 are entered this key number after the class L when they are transferred. This means that they are not bound by agricultural or forestry purposes if they drive vehicles or vehicle combinations in accordance with category L regulations – because this restriction did not yet exist at that time.
The meaning of the key number 70 is relevant for anyone who has their main residence in Germany and has a foreign EU driver's license. In addition, there will soon be new guidelines for all driving licences throughout Europe. (lea)
