Age and fitness requirements for driving

To drive a vehicle or lead animals on the road, it is not enough to know the rules. A person must also be physically and mentally fit and must have reached the minimum age required by law. This rule applies to everyone, from those using the simplest vehicles to those driving large or professional vehicles. The minimum age changes depending on the type of vehicle and the level of responsibility involved.

At fourteen years old, it is possible to drive animal-drawn vehicles, lead draft, pack, or riding animals, and, only within the national territory, drive vehicles for which an AM licence is sufficient, provided that no other passengers are carried. At sixteen, a person may drive vehicles requiring AM, A1, and B1 licences. At eighteen, vehicles requiring A2, B, BE, C1, and C1E licences may be driven. This means that from this age it is already possible to drive a car and some more demanding vehicles, as long as the correct licence has been obtained.

More powerful or more complex vehicles require a higher age. At twenty, a person may drive vehicles of category A only if they have held an A2 licence for at least two years. At twenty-one, it becomes possible to drive category A tricycles, vehicles of categories C and CE, vehicles of categories D1 and D1E, as well as vehicles requiring a professional certificate of type KA or KB and vehicles used for emergency services. At twenty-four, a person may drive category A vehicles without the two-year A2 requirement and may also drive vehicles of categories D and DE, which include larger passenger transport vehicles.

The law also allows a form of accompanied driving for some minors. A person who is seventeen years old and holds an A1 or B1 licence may practise driving motor vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes, without any trailer and within the power limits set for beginner drivers. However, this is allowed only with a specific authorization requested by a parent or legal guardian, and only if the minor is accompanied by a driver who has held a category B licence or higher for at least ten years. Before starting, the minor must complete at least ten hours of practical driving lessons at a driving school with an authorized instructor. Part of this training must take place on motorways or extra-urban roads, and part must take place at night.

During accompanied driving, no one else may be in the vehicle apart from the minor and the accompanying driver. The vehicle must also display a special sign marked with the letters “GA.” If the minor drives without the authorized accompanying person or breaks the rules, the authorization may be revoked, and in some cases it cannot be obtained again. Violations committed during accompanied driving can therefore have serious consequences.

Besides minimum ages, the law also sets maximum age limits for driving certain heavy vehicles or vehicles used for passenger transport. In general, a person driving road trains or articulated vehicles over 20 tonnes may not be older than sixty-five, and a person driving buses or other passenger transport vehicles may not be older than sixty. However, these limits may be extended year by year up to sixty-eight, but only after specialist medical examinations confirm that the driver still has the necessary physical and mental fitness.

Anyone who drives without the required age or without the physical and mental conditions required by law commits an offence and may be fined. The same applies to anyone who allows a vehicle or animals to be driven or led by a person who does not meet the legal requirements. If the violation concerns a motor vehicle, in addition to the fine, the vehicle may also be subject to administrative detention for thirty days. For theory exam preparation, it is essential to remember that each vehicle category has its own minimum age, that accompanied driving exists only in specific cases with strict conditions, and that physical and mental fitness is always required.