From 2021, young people will be allowed to drive in Switzerland (as learner drivers), and from next year the "automatic entry" in the driver's license will no longer apply. Motorcycles up to 125 cm3 may be driven from the age of 16 from 2021. What are the implications for the classic car and youngtimer scene?
SHVF for the driving license from the age of 17
Bernhard Täschler, President of the Swiss Classic Car Association SHVF, has spoken out in favor of the one-year learner's license from the age of 17 in the consultation process:
"It is never too early to get young people used to and participating in traffic. At 17, our children and grandchildren are no longer babies! Compulsory schooling is over and the young people are in an apprenticeship - perhaps even in the automotive industry! Or they are studying at a secondary school. In any case, they are mature enough to drive a motor vehicle alongside a highly trained driving instructor or an experienced accompanying person.
A longer training period brings higher quality and improves safety!
The earlier we get the next generation used to driving motor vehicles - including our vintage and classic cars - the more intensively they will get to grips with them. And the more experience they can gain in the busy traffic on our roads, the safer road traffic will be. Let's give young people this chance!"
Young people in and on classic cars/youngtimers
Under the new regulation, which comes into force on January 1, 2021, young people will be able to drive a Bugatti 35, a VW Beetle or a Renault Heck in the presence of an experienced driver from the age of 17. They will still only be able to take the test after their 18th birthday or after a 12-month learning phase.
As early as 2019, a young person aged 16 will be able to ride a Yamaha RD125 or a Moto Guzzi with a 125 cm3 engine. From a factual point of view, there is hardly anything to be said against this and, in fact, one can really hope that a greater enthusiasm for historic vehicles can be passed on from grandfather or father to young people.
Controversial abolition of the car entry
Another issue, however, is the elimination of the distinction as to whether you learned to drive with a manual gearbox or an automatic. In modern cars, this is probably hardly a problem; even manual transmission cars today offer starting aids and effectively prevent stalling when driving off.
But what happens if a driver who has only been trained to drive an automatic comes across a Citroën 2 CV from 1980 or a Jaguar E-Type from 1963 and starts off on a hill?
Personal responsibility is required here, and not just from young people, but from all driving license holders who have the "automatic only" entry removed. Let's hope that current and future drivers are up to this responsibility.