Deputy chairman of the German Federation of Driving Schools (Bundesvereinigung der Fahrlehrerverbände, BVF), Kurt Bartels, has voiced concerns that the driving‑licence reform proposed by Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU) could worsen road safety.
Bartels told the Wednesday edition of the “Rheinische Post” that “what Schnieder plans is in no small measure contrary to Vision Zero – the international strategy to reduce traffic deaths and accidents to zero”. He warned that in pursuing cost‑cutting measures, traffic safety must not be overlooked.
He also argued that the reform would not lower the cost of obtaining a licence. “After training, driving students are required to attend a safety workshop as part of the non‑professional training, parents must be briefed, and all of this incurs costs” Bartels said. “The programme even includes traffic‑psychology counseling, and the specialist will expect to be paid handsomely for it – another unrealistic cost estimate”.