This is one of the great novelties that will come into force from January 1, 2024: it will now be possible to obtain a driving license from the age of 17, instead of 18 until now.
• Why a license at 17 years old?
This measure was announced last June by Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne.
This reduction in the age to start driving independently aims, in particular, to allow young people who live in regions poorly served by public transport to travel more easily, for example to their place of training, but above all to facilitate their entry in working life.
• What about accompanied driving?
Being able to obtain your permit at the age of 17 will allow those who have practiced accompanied driving to obtain their permit more quickly.
In fact, since 2015 it has been possible to start early learning to drive (AAC) from the age of 15. Learner drivers could take the driving test from the age of 17, but had to wait until they were 18 to drive.
A gap between passing the exam and starting life as a driver that was presented as potentially dangerous by road training professionals. With the risk of forgetting some of the knowledge acquired during learning when you can finally get behind the wheel alone. An inconsistency, therefore, corrected by this “license at 5pm”.
Those who have passed their license in 2023 and turn 17 as of January 1, 2024 will be able to get behind the wheel alone.
• How many people affected?
With more than a million candidates each year, the driving license remains the most popular test in France.
In 2022, almost 30% of driving license holders were 18 years old, with a total of 262,325 people, by far the age most represented in the exam, recalls an article from World. In comparison, there were 93,100 winners who obtained it from the age of 17 and 124,418 from the age of 19.
• Longer deadlines to obtain permission?
This is what some training professionals fear, while the situation seems to be improving recently, particularly for trainees who have gone through online driving schools.
Precisely in 2024 we fear a possible influx of candidates attracted by this new provision. Last July, some driving schools reported large registrations following the announcement made by the government.
An important problem because excessively long delays in obtaining the permit usually make this training more expensive, with hours of driving in addition to preparing before the practical exam.
However, the situation should quickly return to normal: with a simple change in the number of people who have obtained their permit from 18 years of age.
• What is the cost of insurance for these new young drivers?
This remains the main question. With a higher risk of accidents, young drivers already pay more for their insurance on average than older age groups.
According to the comparator Assurland, the average annual contribution of young people between 18 and 25 years old in France was 1,255 euros in 2022, compared to the 630 euros national average for all categories.
Therefore, it remains to be seen what additional premium insurance companies will charge these new young drivers.
Source: BFM TV
