European officials hope that uniform driver's licenses will help maintain order on the roads
First, drivers will receive temporary licenses for two years, thus becoming a kind of trainee. If during that time the holder of such a license accumulates a critical number of penalty points, he loses the license and is sent to driving courses. If everything is normal, he receives a license valid for 15 years.
Poland was one of the first to respond to the decision made in Brussels. The country's cabinet of ministers published a draft law, which, if approved by the Sejm, will come into force after the New Year. Official comments say that the government adopted the new regulations primarily due to 'concern over the rising number of traffic accidents, the level of teaching in driving schools, and the level of corruption associated with obtaining driver's licenses.' According to statistics, more than 5,500 people die on Polish roads every year, and many thousands become disabled. This is the highest rate in the EU. The authors of the law are confident that the introduction of new rules will keep drivers 'on their toes' and will also close the corruption loophole for those wishing to obtain licenses bypassing the established rules – buying a driver's license will become virtually impossible.
As the authors of the law assure, the changes will not affect the cost of driving courses. By the way, in Poland they are among the cheapest in Europe, depending on the driving school the price ranges from 450 to 600 euros. In the Czech Republic, the same pleasure already costs 800 euros. The most expensive training and exams are for residents of prosperous Norway – up to 3,000 euros. In the Netherlands and Iceland – about 1,800 euros, in Sweden – about 1,600 euros. In Germany, Great Britain, Denmark and Ireland, learning and passing the test costs on average 1,500 euros.
The main problem is that on the territory of EU member countries, about 100 varieties of driver's licenses are still valid, which were issued both within the European Union and in third countries. In a number of European countries, driver's licenses have not been changed for 20 or more years. The record holder for this indicator is Germany. Here, retired drivers can still drive with licenses obtained back in the time of Konrad Adenauer.
Such confusion contributes to the fact that unqualified drivers with fake licenses are still 'cruising' around United Europe, making their significant 'contribution' to the increase in traffic accidents – more than 40,000 people die on EU roads every year.
Both supporters and opponents of the adoption of the new law agree on one thing – the upcoming changes will undoubtedly improve road safety. But both are troubled by the question: who will pay for all these exams? After all, the draft law stipulates that truck drivers, for example, must confirm their professional driving skills every five years. In addition, driving instructors themselves will also be examined: the innovation proposes testing their teaching skills every two years.
"The adoption of such a law has long been overdue," says in an interview with a correspondent of 'Novye Izvestia' Darek Zhabokritsky, an instructor at one of Warsaw's driving schools with 15 years of experience. "But in recent years, many driving courses have appeared in Poland, the teaching level of which is quite poor. Clients are lured by extremely low prices for training, even down to 1,100 zlotys (less than 300 euros). But the staff in such centers are usually unqualified, and the driving practice for students is cut to the limit. As a result, it's scary to drive on Polish roads. I, for example, can tell by a driver's behavior on the road which driving school he graduated from: an old one with good teaching traditions and accordingly high standards, or a 'quickie'."
And how will this innovation affect drivers coming to the EU, for example, from Russia? The authors of the law assure that it will not. Russians will be able to drive on European roads with their driver's licenses obtained at home. If a guest from Russia has arrived for a long business trip, he can exchange his license for a document of the country where he intends to live, using the services of the nearest police station.
In the Czech Republic, for example, this pleasure costs 140 crowns (about 4 euros). Approximately the same price – 25 zlotys – in Poland. After the expiry of the stay in an EU country, the Russian driver's license will be returned to the applicant.
Viktor SHANKOV. 
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