# New Driving Test



## loddy (Feb 12, 2007)

Has anyone heard the whispers about a new driving test to cover leisure vehicles ( RVs over 7.5 tonne) ???

Loddy


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

I haven't, but research shows only one reference ( http://forums.mxtrax.co.uk/showthread.php?t=191526&page=2 ) and that's over THREE YEARS OLD:-

*Driving licence categories are based on maximum allowable weight. Drivers who passed a normal car test (category B) since 1 January 1997, are limited to driving vehicles with a maximum weight of 3500kg, or 4250kg with a trailer of 750kg. Before that date the limit was 7500kg, or 8250kg if a trailer was towed. So, your 24-year-old son or daughter may not legally be able to take over the driving of your 3500kg+ motorhome if you are taken ill, say (nor indeed anyone of any age who passed the B test after that date). And hooking up a large trailer - carrying, say, a car - behind your 3500kg motorhome, would put you well over the 4250kg limit. So, if you have a larger-than-usual motorhome, or tow a heavy trailer, make sure that all the potential drivers have the correct licence. Despite rumours in the press, there are no plans to apply this 3500/4250kg limit retrospectively to pre-1997 drivers - you will retain your existing entitlement until at least 70 years of age, when your current licence expires. At that point you will need to take a medical test to retain the 7500/8250kg licence, or revert to the 3500/4250kg limit.
Most British motorhomes have a maximum gross weight (MGW) of less than 3500kg, but not all: some, for example the Ace Firenze, has an MGW of 3850kg, and the Bürstner Elegance I820 has a whopping 5000kg MGW. Also, most American RVs are very heavy, and many are over even the 7500kg threshold - for instance, the Winnebago Journey 32T, has an MGW of 12,660kg, and this is by no means the heaviest. If this problem affects you, it is possible for a vehicle of more than 3500kg to be down-plated, to come within this limit.
The way in which this can be done is that changes are made to suspension and tyres, and the base vehicle manufacturer or chassis converter (such as Al-Ko) can issue a new plate on which the new weights are recorded. But remember, you may be sacrificing some payload this way.
There are changes afoot from the European Third Driving Licence Directive, but these are some years away, and in any case will also not be retrospective. For example, all new licences are likely to have only a ten-year duration, with the possibility of eyesight or other medical tests on renewal. There may also be a new Leisure Vehicle category defined for driving licence purposes, and this might just sort out some of the present anomalies.*

Dougie.


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## loddy (Feb 12, 2007)

Is that a no then Dougie ?

Loddy


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

loddy said:


> Is that a no then Dougie ?


The very first two words of my reply give it away. 

Dougie.


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## passionwagon (Nov 13, 2005)

8O Changes are in the pipeline for many catagories. 
Take a look at this :!:

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/behavior/doc/2003_10_22_memo_drivinglicence_en.pdf


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## SilverF1 (Feb 27, 2009)

I came across some information on the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) website. No mention of a new category in there.

FIA Statement on the 3rd Directive from the EU

and this an extract relevant to motorhomers:-

"Experience with motor caravans shows that due to their advanced safety equipment, vehicles of more than 3.5t are particularly safe. Therefore, from the point of view of road safety the logical step should be to include motor caravans (or car and trailer combinations) with a maximum authorised mass of up to 4.25t in category B, thereby creating an additional incentive to buy vehicles with particularly high safety standards."

Looks like status quo for the foreseeable future, for motohomers.

It'll be interesting to see whether the minimum driving age of 18 is implemented, or the current minimum age of 17 will remain as a national concession, after the introduction of the 3rd Directive.


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