Macedonia Lets 16-Year-Olds Behind Wheel

Macedonia has decided to lower the age at which people may obtain driving licenses from 18 to 16.

“It is better to educate our young than to punish them,” Police Minister Gordana Jankulovska said after the government on Thursday adopted a draft Law on Traffic Safety.
 
According to the Interior Ministry, the police last year caught 12,500 drivers without a license, many of whom were minors anxious to show off their driving skills.

Jankulovska said this was the decisive factor behind the authorities' decision to lower the driving age limit.

Minors will still have to get prior consent from their parents or legal guardians and pass the exams.

Parents with driving licenses will also have to accompany their children if they wish to drive at night.

The draft is soon going before parliament in which Nikola Gruevski's centre-right government has a stable majority.

Other changes in the draft law include updated speed limits and increased traffic penalties that will hopefully reduce number of traffic accidents and casualties.

Recently issued police statistics show that eight to ten serious traffic accidents happen every day in Macedonia. One life is lost in driving accidents approximately every third day. Authorities say this is too many for a country of 2.1 million residents.