AUTOMATIC TO MANUAL – CONSULTATION LAUNCHED ON CHANGES TO DRIVING LICENCES

The government has launched a consultation on two proposed changes to driver licencing requirements.

The first of these proposed changes involves allowing drivers who passed their driving test in an automatic car, medium sized lorry or minibus (licence categories B+E, C1, C1+E, D1 and D1+E) to drive a manual vehicle as long as they can already drive a manual vehicle in another category.

This recognises that the driver will have already shown that they can drive a manual vehicle and will be familiar with manual transmission and follows on from similar changes introduced in 2014 relating to lorry (C), articulated lorry (C+E), bus or coach (D) and bus or coach towing a trailer (D+E) drivers.

The second proposed change involves reducing the minimum engine capacity needed for a driver to take the standard motorcycle (subcategory A2) test from 395cc to 245cc. This change is being proposed to reflect changing vehicle types and engine technologies as there are now many motorcycles with a smaller engine that produces enough power to put them in the A2 category.

The consultation runs until 23rd March 2021. You can view the full details and respond to the consultation using the Gov.UK website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/simplifying-driving-licence-upgrade-and-motorcycle-test-rules