Will driver's licenses be taken away sooner? The Cabinet of Ministers is preparing tough changes for drivers: what will change

The Cabinet of Ministers has submitted draft law No. 15200 to the Verkhovna Rada, which proposes a comprehensive update of the Law “On Road Traffic” taking into account the requirements of EU law and the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.

Among the key innovations — a revision of the classification of vehicles and a reformatting of the system of driving licence categories: from AM, A1, A2 to D and DE, as well as the allocation of categories for trams and trolleybuses. It is proposed to introduce more detailed rules for access to driving depending on the category and the specific driver’s driving experience.

A separate section of the document describes the grounds for termination of a driving licence, temporary suspension of the right to drive and declaring a licence invalid, with a clear distinction between each mechanism.

The validity of a licence may be terminated in cases when.

• a person who obtained a licence for the first time is deprived of the right to drive;
• it is established that the document was issued on the basis of forged or invalid data or with violations during the examinations.

The right to drive may be temporarily suspended if.

• there is a temporary restriction by court decision or in accordance with the law;
• medical contraindications are found or there is a refusal to undergo a mandatory medical examination;
• a person is deprived of the right to drive for a specified period.

A licence is declared invalid, among other things, in the event of.

• expiration of the validity period;
• loss, destruction, or theft;
• receipt of information about the possession of a foreign licence;
• exchange of the document or failure to receive it in a timely manner;
• failure to surrender the licence following a court decision to deprive the right to drive;
• failure to appear for the document within the established timeframe.

All decisions regarding termination or suspension of the right to drive are subject to entry in the Unified State Register of Vehicles, the administrator of which is the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and drivers must receive notifications explaining the grounds and procedure for appealing such decisions.

In case of establishing the fact of a licence’s invalidity, the police must seize the document and transfer it to the territorial unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Previously we wrote:

• Write-off failed: “spy” button brought a man to court instead of a driver’s license
• In Mykolaiv, a reckless driver’s car was sent to auction — the court shows no mercy
• Changing driver’s licences will become mandatory for all Ukrainians: the Rada’s new bill
• A Kherson resident in Mykolaiv attempted to exchange forged driver’s licences
• A Mykolaiv resident bought a driver’s licence on a Telegram channel and tried to take the exam for a new category