Scandal on Britain’s Roads as EU Nationals Get UK Driving Licences Without Taking UK Driving Test

It’s estimated that over 500,000 EU nationals in Britain have obtained a UK driving licence without having to undergo the UK driving test.

Now, amid increasing evidence that accidents involving EU nationals on Britain’s roads are rising dramatically, road safety campaigners are calling for foreign drivers to undergo the UK driving test before being issued with a British driving licence.

Under current laws immigrants entering the UK from EU nations can swap the driving licence obtained in their homeland for a UK version, allowing them to continue driving until the age of 70 without being required to take a UK driving test.

There has been a substantial surge in the number of EU nationals applying for a UK licence since the expansion of EU members in 2004. In 1992, only 10,373 immigrants from EU countries transferred their licence to a British version.

However, in 2012 it’s reported that 54,032 people out of 83,553 EU applicants were granted a UK driving licence.

Case Study

Daisy McEvoy, a UK motorist, has first-hand experience of the dangers that EU nationals pose on Britain’s roads. She was the victim of a horrendous road traffic accident caused by a drunk Polish driver who switched from the left hand side of the road, to the right, without warning and ploughed his car head on into Ms McEvoy’s vehicle.

The court case that ensued revealed how, Marian Mikolajczyk’s Fiat Punto, had no cause to be on the incorrect side of the road. Those in attendance heard how he had probably ‘reverted to driving as he would have done in Poland’. Furthermore, Mikolajczyk’s drunken state was also a major contributor to his weaving across the road into oncoming traffic.

As a result of his actions Mr Mikolajczyk, 32, who had been drinking following a tiff with his partner, was subsequently banned from Britain’s roads for 30 months.

The crash left Ms McEvoy with a broken coccyx, swollen knee and severe bruising to her neck and face. Immediately after the court hearing Ms McEvoy issued a statement venting her anger at the circumstances and the legislation that allowed the Polish driver to take to Britain’s roads unchecked.

In a statement from Brian Gregory, the Chairman of the Alliance of British Drivers, he said: “Driving standards vary widely within the European Union. There should be a competency test for people coming in. It would be very sensible to conduct a Highway Code test to check that they understand the basic rules of the road.”

Harmful to Tourism

In a statement from the AA’s head of tourism, Andrew Howard, he said: “Motorists driving on an unfamiliar side of the road are cause for concern but a compulsory practical test could harm tourism.”

Tags: Driving License, Driving Test, Practical Driving Test, UK Driving License, UK Full Driving Test

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 22nd, 2013 at 9:05 am and is filed under Book Practical Test, Book Theory Test Today News. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.