Learn to drive in Germany These days only require more than patience. It also takes a lot of money. Germany’s eldest Automobile Club, adac, obtaining a driver’s license can cost anywhere between € 2,500 ($ 2,839) and € 3,500-, in some cases, and more. For young people, still in education, it is becoming a luxury.
Although the license of a driver obtained in a country of an European Union is valid in the block, how you get, still regulated at the national level. Each country has its own Driving The concept of the school, which in turn determines the price.
In Germany, Driving education The law is widespread and strictly regulated. Learners have to complete a minimum 14 principle session and 12 practical driving texts. In contrast, Poland provides a more compact and less tightly regulated program, where a license can spend less as € 600.
Calls for improvement are increasing loudly. Florian Muller, spokesperson of the Transport Policy for the Center-Right CDU party, is one of the emphasis for “contemporary and modern driving education”, both cheap and reflects the current road realities. Finally, in Germany, the “car is still the number one mode of transport” and many depend on having a license, Muller told DW.
‘Driving is a privilege in Germany’
Varsha Iyer knows all this very well. Originally from India, she moved to Germany in 2018 for studies. His journey to obtain a license was emotionally tedious and financially flowing. At the same time, it was unavoidable, as it was difficult to go from his house in place of study from his house in the city of Daseldorf without a car.
To pay for the driving lesson, Iyer worked part -time in a bakery while studying. He passed the theory test on his first attempt, but failed in practical examination five times.
“The main criminal was that the test position was quite strict,” he told DW. “I understand the need for high standards,” he said, but he said that they did not reflect the way people driving.
Overall, his license costs more than € 5,000 -its complete savings.
This process is especially difficult for migrants such as Varsha, which face language obstacles and come from very different traffic systems. “Driving in Germany is clearly a privilege,” he said. “Very few people have unlimited resources that keep paying for retasting.”
Getting licenses abroad -not an option in the world
Due to high cost, more people in Germany are considering doing their driving tests abroad, for example in neighboring countries such as Poland.
But this is not so easy, ADAC spokesperson Kathrina warns Luka. “People often forget that you have to live in the country for at least 185 days to obtain a license. And then there are additional costs for travel and housing,” he told DW.
Luka believes that the real solution lies in improving the system within Germany so that driving lessons can be more accessible.
For Florian Muller, Training The process provides a point of reference. A CDU spokesperson said, “We are seeing that it is taking a long time for people to get their license.”
According to data from a group of Tüv Association, a group of safety standards, almost one of the two candidates now fails in the principle testing-one all-time high. The failure rate for practical testing is also increasing, not more than a third.
Practice drives the price
The Minister of State Transport of Germany is now emphasizing to simplify the principle part of training. However, Kurtles, president of the Driving Instructors Association in North Rhine-Westphalia, suspects whether it would make it Driving license Cheap. After all, the cost of registration for theory test is only € 25. “In fact, people need a number of driving lessons by promoting cost,” he said.
“Our customers have changed. Young people no longer look at the road, but in their smartphones. They come to us and no longer there is any traffic awareness,” Bartels said.
The traffic situation has also become more complicated in recent years. Working with new road users, such as e-scooters or advanced driver support systems all should all be taken into consideration in training today. He spends all money.
At the top of it, driving schools are struggling with increasing fare, vehicle cost and lack of qualified trainers.
Are driving simulators reply?
A proposed solution is to include driving simulator in training programs. Basic techniques such as gear shifting or blind spot check can be taught virtually.
Along with the available less coaches, simulators can help reduce the burden, believing Muller. You can consider “what work can only a driving trainer, and which parts can be handled by a machine.”
In countries such as France, simulators are already an established part of the driving course. But in Germany, they are still waiting for official recognition.
Bartels suspects: “If you use a simulator, it still has to be looked after by an instructor,” he explains. “And no simulator can change the driving of real life-either when it comes to autoban or night driving.”
Between ambition and reality
A recent proposal to make the license more economical by Florian Muller was rejected in Bundestag. Still the pressure to work is increasing. Since 2020, the cost of driving schools and examinations has increased by 38%, which is away from inflation.
“Perhaps our driving education is expensive, but also very well,” ADAC spokesperson Luka says, “At the same time, we also see that other countries with cheap training programs are not necessarily high.”
Austria, for example, allows learners to drive private practice with a qualified adult, a system that saves money on professional lessons. In Germany, however, the driving license “is a privilege that opens the door to other privileges,” Varsha Iyer thinks. “If you can tolerate it, you are in a profit. If not, the steering wheel stays out of reach.”
