The European Parliament and EU member states have provisionally agreed that serious traffic violations committed in one member state could lead to a driving ban across the bloc of 27 countries.

EU agrees on bloc-wide driving ban for serious traffic offences

Drivers who have committed serious traffic offences in an EU member state could soon face a driving ban across the bloc, according to a new agreement between the European Parliament and member states.

Until now, if a driver was found committing a serious offence, they faced a temporary driving ban in the EU country where they had committed the offence (the “offence state”). However, only the member state which issues the driver's licence (“issuance state”) can revoke the licence entirely.

Under the new rules, if a driver commits a serious traffic offence, the “offence state” will be obliged to report the incident to the “issuance state”. The “issuance state” will then be obliged to impose a driving ban across the whole bloc.

The EU lists driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, extreme speeding, or road conduct which causes serious injury to others or death, as serious traffic violations.

EU bloc driving ban will come as last resort

While the EU will centralise driving bans, police will not be imposing them willy-nilly. Only if the offending driver has committed an earlier offence and been issued a consequent three-month driving ban in the “offending state” will the “issuing state” consider a bloc-wide ban in the event of a second serious offence.

A provisional agreement on the new rules is yet to be formally endorsed by member state representatives in the European Council and Parliament. However, the next steps are considered a formality.

The new rules are part of a broader effort to consolidate driving regulations and penalties across the bloc. Other plans include rolling out digital driving licences by 2030.

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