New regulations have just come in with the New Year in all 27 EU member states, which means that if you get a fine in Italy but live in Spain, that fine will arrive in your letterbox.
If you are fined for driving while exceeding the alcohol level in Portugal, it will now reach your home. There was a legal vacuum that once had not been resolved, but starting from January 2025 that legal loophole will sort itself out in the European Union.
European rules mean exchange of info on all drivers
The joint exchange of information on driving licences is expected to help reduce road accidents and the number of deaths on Europe’s roads. According to the data, in 2024, more than 20,000 people lost their lives in traffic accidents in Europe, and the Union has set a goal of ‘zero deaths’ or serious injuries by 2050.
From now on, drivers will have to take into account that driving bans for serious offences, such as testing positive for alcohol or drugs, will be effective in all member states. This means that if a driver gets a ban or loses points, the sanction will be valid throughout the EU.
Also with the exchange of information at the European level, the age at which a person can obtain a driver’s license has been lowered, now to 17 years old. However, in order to work as a driver, you must be accompanied by a person who is at least 24 years old and who has at least 5 years of driving experience.
Another homogenised measure that has been introduced across the bloc is that those who carry a standard car-driving licence will be permitted to ride a motorcycle up to 125cc in no matter what country of the European Union as long as they have three years of driving experience.
