Some numbers can be entered in a German driver's license. What does the key number 171 in the driver's license mean?
Kassel – Most people are familiar with the names of the driving licence classes. With a category B driving licence, motor vehicles with a maximum permissible mass of less than 3500 kilograms may be driven. But what do the key numbers mean next to the classes?
This means the key number 171 on your driver's license
The key numbers are also listed on the back of the check-sized driver's license. In addition, the date of issue of the driving licence and the respective vehicle classes that may be driven can also be read. The key digits can be used to identify additional information, requirements and restrictions. A list of these key figures has been compiled by the General German Automobile Club (ADAC), among others. For example, what does the key number 174 mean?
Trucks can be driven with a class C1 driver's license - but what does the key number 171 mean? © Andrea Warnecke/dpa (symbolic image)
As can be seen from the list by the ADAC, the key number 171 only applies in Germany, "two-digit key numbers, on the other hand, apply throughout the EU." The code number 171 is defined as follows: "Category C1, also valid for motor vehicles of category D with a maximum permissible mass not exceeding 7500 kilograms, but excluding passengers." A category C1 driver's license is a truck driver's license and is valid for motor vehicles with a maximum permissible mass of more than 3500 kilograms, but not more than 7500 kilograms.
Can the key number 171 still be acquired today?
Which vehicles fall under driving licence category D? In 1999, a total of 16 driving licence categories were introduced. Classes C1, C1E, C and CE apply to trucks. Driving licence class D entitles people in Germany to drive buses on public roads. Anyone who has a category C1 driver's license with the key number 171 next to it is therefore allowed to drive buses on public transport, but without passengers on board. Nowadays, the key number 171 can no longer be obtained.
| Driver's license class | Motor vehicle type |
|---|---|
| A, A1, A1, AM | Motorcycles, scooters, trike, quad |
| B, B17, B96, B196, BE | Cars and cars with trailers |
| C, C1, C1E, CE | Trucks and trucks with trailers |
| D, D1, D1E, DE | Buses |
"The code number 171 may only be used for the conversion of driving licences issued up to 31 December 1998," says the BGBI. This key number was only registered to a holder of the old driving licence class 2. If you want to drive a bus today, you have to get a class D or D1 driver's license. As with the C1 driver's license, the aptitude test for the D driver's license requires an eye test by an ophthalmologist, which is also necessary for each extension. Renewal of these driving licences is required every five years from the age of 50.
