You have lost the right to drive in a European country; you probably don’t worry about it

Reader Jonas approached Delfi, admitting that he had seriously violated the Traffic Rules (KET) in the neighboring country, so the country’s police authorities decided to deprive Lithuania of the right to drive for two years.

According to Delfi reader, an interesting situation has arisen in Lithuania, because after wanting to discover information on what to do to regain the right to drive, he could not find any order or instructions on what to do.

“I also asked the officials of the country where I lost my right to drive, and they replied that they could not help anyone. I tried to look for information in Lithuania, how should I behave? There is nothing anywhere. It is explained everywhere what should do if Lithuanian officials take away the right to drive, if the situation is different, knowledge is zero, “the man was surprised.

There is no unanimous solution.

According to Emilija Bardauskienė, specialist in the communication department of SE Regitra, which manages the registration of the country’s vehicle fleet and issues driver’s licenses, the situation is much more complicated than it seems at first glance.

“Until 2017, the police returned the lost driver’s licenses and the right to drive due to KET violations. Upon assuming this function by decision of the legislator, Regitra also received problems related to this issue, whose solution is being sought even in the Court of Justice of the European Union, “said the specialist.

E. Bardauskienė emphasized that Regitra, although granting the right to drive, does not restrict or revoke it. This means that a state company can only suspend a driver’s license based on objective information received from other interested authorities.

“For example, after receiving notification from a medical institution that a driver is no longer able to drive safely due to a medical condition, as well as from the police that certain KET violations have caused a person to lose temporarily or permanently the right to drive. In the latter case, Regitra is responsible for re-checking the driver’s knowledge, “said E. Bardauskienė.

However, the specialist emphasizes that the practice of losing the right to drive abroad in the EU is different.

“For example, Regitra, like most institutions with similar functions across the European Union and the European Economic Area, receives information about lost driving rights relatively late: this is generally known by court orders which, in practice, they arrive much later deprived of the right to drive, “explained the specialist.

Another problem, according to the interlocutor, is that there are no uniform criteria at the EU level to impose sanctions for KET infringements. In other words, in one country the right to drive is revoked for some crimes, in another for other crimes.

Offers to apply

According to the interlocutor, there are not many cases of deprivation of the right to drive by a foreigner who has entered the country for tourism purposes, but the subject is so delicate that it has even been considered by the Court of Justice of the EU. However, there is still no unanimous solution.

“Under current national regulations, if a Lithuanian citizen, who has an issued Lithuanian driver’s license, loses the right to drive in a foreign country due to a violation of certain KETs, he is subject to a territorial restriction on the right to driving, “said E. Bardauskienė.

In other words, if you lose your right to drive in an EU country, it is better not to sit behind the wheel. However, this does not mean that a driver cannot drive a car in another country. According to E. Bardauskienė, due to different road safety regulations and supervision and sanctioning practices, when Lithuanians lose their right to drive in a foreign country, issues of issuing a national driving license are examined individually, therefore Regitra recommends that such persons communicate directly with the company’s customer service center.

According to E. Bardauskienė, if we want to talk about the absolute, non-territorial restriction of the right to drive, we should talk about transposing the provisions of the European directives into national regulation and replacing them with the national legislation currently in force.

As Delfi explained, the representatives of the Strategic Communication Division of the Ministry of the Interior (MIA), at present, the responsibilities of drivers in a particular country are decided individually in each member state of the EU. However, it is not hidden that the information on violations is exchanged in the following cases specified by the Ministry of the Interior:

1. speeding;
2. driving without wearing a seat belt;
3. driving in the presence of a prohibited traffic control signal;
4. driving under the influence of alcohol;
5. driving under the influence of drugs;
6. driving without a safety helmet;
7. driving in a prohibited lane;
8. Unauthorized use of a mobile phone or other communication device while driving.

However, in accordance with Directive 2015/413 of the European Parliament and of the Council, although the conditions for the exchange of information between EU countries are established, the procedural documents are sent to the owner of the vehicle or to a person designated by him . When asked if it is true that today there is no system in Lithuania that would quickly reveal that a citizen has lost the right to drive in an EU country, the representatives of the Interior Ministry did not reply.

No knowledge of lost certificate received

In its written response to Delfi, the Lithuanian Highway Police Service (LKPT) emphasized that information about Lithuanian drivers who had lost their right to drive in a foreign country was not available, and the violation was valid in the country where was committed.

“Driving licenses issued in the Republic of Lithuania for foreign KET violations in foreign countries are generally sent to” Regitra, “explained LCPT representatives.

The officials’ response does not hide the fact that, although the KET establishes traffic regulations in the country where they are adopted and the basic principles of traffic regulations are enshrined in international law, the idea of ​​a driving disqualification in a EU country is recognized throughout the EU.

I received a new document

According to a Delfi reader, after starting to search for information on the right to make a withdrawal, without finding information and advice on what to do, he decided to withdraw a new document.

“I thought I would try, and if I wasn’t successful, I would at least know what to do,” he explained.

When asked how the attempt to obtain a new driver’s license ended, the Delfi reader admitted that he had been issued a new driver’s license without important questions.