The authorities in Bern are considering dropping the legal driving age to 16, Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) reported on Sunday.
Citing its own sources, the newspaper says that a new model has been presented already last year, including proposal young people at the age of 16 to be given the opportunity to “sit behind the wheel”.
However, the proposal includes the provision that the youngsters should be accompanied by a tutor who has to fulfil certain conditions, like being at least 30 years old and having a driving history without major traffic offences for some three years.
Local media recap that drivers in Switzerland are only allowed to receive a driver’s permit from the age of 18.
The Swiss are currently considering also the possibility that those who want to obtain a driving licence, regardless of their age, will need to have at least a year with the learner's license before there are allowed to the driving test.
According to Neue Zürcher Zeitung, driving instructors’ organisations in the country are critical towards the new proposals tabled. They believe that at 16 the teens are still too young to get behind the wheel. In addition, they are concerned that the new regulations might lead to a higher accident rate and overcrowding as, according to estimates, some 40 000 drivers would pop up on the Swiss roads on a yearly basis.