Driver’s licenses need to be renewed with increased specifics: Education Ministry

ANKARA

Hürriyet Photo

If Parliament approves the pending Highway Traffic Regulation draft bill, the number different kinds of driving licenses will be increased, according to a letter issued by Turkey's Education Ministry.

The ministry issued a letter to driving schools stating a new Highway Traffic Regulation was being prepared, and that as part of this the number of types of driving licenses would be increased from nine to 17, including a separate license for drivers who only drive automatic geared cars.

A proposal to amend the Highway Code that was presented to the Parliament Speaker's Office in April 2012 by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) had sparked a debate about possible changes to driver’s licenses at the time.

The draft contained elements including providing a separate driver’s license for those who only drive automatic geared cars. Additionally, the bill moved to allow elementary school graduates who graduated from school before the law was passed in 1998 to increase mandatory education to eight years to also have the right to obtain a driver’s license.

The ministry’s latest letter stated that to avoid any problems Turkish drivers may encounter in EU member countries, driver’s licenses were to be made more specific, with candidate drivers receiving a separate license, designated by the letter “K” and licenses for those only driving automatic geared cars to be “B1.”

Driver’s licenses will need to be renewed every five or 10 years, according to the category of the license.

The letter stressed that the regulation had still not been officially published and did not give specific details about the draft bill.