Germany Plans to Shift gears on Driver's Licenses
German auto enthusiasts don’t want to give up on cars equipped with manual transmissions so far, but more and more sophisticated automatic transmissions become more preferable among car manufacturers because of growing demand on more comfortable-to-drive models. Now Andreas Scheuer, the head of Transport Ministry in Germany, came up with the idea to introduce amendments into the procedures of obtaining a driver's license for manual and automatic vehicles.
The thing is that to get the right to drive in Germany
will require much time and financial resources. It includes practical and
written exams as well as an obligatory 1-st aid course. Moreover, the practical
part is different for manual and automatic cars.
Mr. Scheuer plans to update the law so that all
applicants who pass the automatic practical test will have the right to drive a
manually-shifted car after receiving some training with a manual car. Thus,
young drivers won’t have to waste time and money on a practical driving test
for a manual car. He considers this initiative as another step in promotion of
electric vehicles, which can be considered gearless at all.
Learn the differences
between US and German driver licenses
Moreover, this measure can be explained by the
fact that automatic cars rapidly push out manuals from German roads. According
to the official statistics, almost a half of cars manufactured in 2018 were
equipped with automatic transmissions. Eight years ago the number was 27.4% and
in 2000 it stood at 19.6%. Another important factor is related to strengthening
of regulations on CO2 emissions.
TÜV, the organization responsible for preparation of tests for novice drivers, oppose any changes in the educational process of young drivers out of concern that is may lead to road accidents, as many drivers won’t have enough skills on driving a manual car. But there are also supporters of this initiative. One of representatives of the Saxony Driving Instructors' Association said that for many applicants, getting a manual driver's license added to an already lengthy and costly process.
