Commission Directive (EU) 2015/653
of 24 April 2015
amending Directive 2006/126/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on driving licences
(Text with EEA relevance)
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Directive 2006/126/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 on driving licences , and in particular Article 8 thereof,
Whereas:
(1)
The codes and sub-codes set out in Annex I to Directive 2006/126/EC should be updated in the light of technical and scientific progress, especially in the field of vehicle adaptations and technical support for drivers with disabilities.
(2)
To take into account new technological developments, the codes and sub-codes should be function-oriented. For reasons of administrative simplification some codes should also be deleted, merged with other codes or shortened.
(3)
To reduce the burden on drivers with disabilities, it should be made possible where appropriate for those drivers to drive a vehicle without technical adaptation. Since modern vehicle technology allows drivers to operate certain regular vehicles with limited force, e.g. for steering or braking, and in order to enhance flexibility for drivers whilst ensuring safe operation of the vehicle, codes should be introduced that could allow driving of vehicles which are compatible with the maximum force the driver is able to produce.
(4)
Certain codes which are currently restricted to medical conditions may also be relevant for other road safety purposes by limiting high risk situations, e.g. in the case of novice or elderly drivers. Thus a section should also be created for these codes on limited use.
(5)
To enhance road safety, several Member States have or are planning programmes restricting drivers to drive only vehicles equipped with an alcohol interlock. To facilitate the deployment and acceptance of alcohol interlock devices and taking into account the recommendation of the Study on the prevention of drink-driving by the use of alcohol interlock devices , a harmonised code should be introduced for this purpose.
(6)
In accordance with the Joint Political Declaration of Member States and the Commission of 28 September 2011 on explanatory documents , Member States have undertaken to accompany, in justified cases, the notification of their transposition measures with one or more documents explaining the relationship between the components of a directive and the corresponding parts of national transposition instruments.
(7)
Directive 2006/126/EC should therefore be amended accordingly.
(8)
The measures provided for in this Directive are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee on driving licences,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:
Article 1
Annex I to Directive 2006/126/EC is amended in accordance with the Annex to this Directive.
Article 2
1
Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive by 1 January 2017 at the latest. They shall forthwith communicate to the Commission the text of those provisions.
When Member States adopt those provisions, they shall contain a reference to this Directive or be accompanied by such a reference on the occasion of their official publication. Member States shall determine how such reference is to be made.
2
Member States shall communicate to the Commission the text of the main provisions of national law which they adopt in the field covered by this Directive.
Article 3
This Directive shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Article 4
This Directive is addressed to the Member States.
Done at Brussels, 24 April 2015.
For the Commission
The President
Jean-Claude Juncker
ANNEX
In Annex I, Section 3 of Directive 2006/126/EC concerning page 2 of the driving licence, point (a), point (12) is replaced by the following:
12.
additional information/restriction(s), in code form, facing the category affected.
The codes shall be as follows:
— codes 01 to 99
- harmonised European Union codes

DRIVER (medical reasons)
01.
  - Sight correction and/or protection
01.01.
    - Glasses
01.02.
    - Contact lens(es)
01.05.
    - Eye cover
01.06.
    - Glasses or contact lenses
01.07.
    - Specific optical aid
02.
  - Hearing aid/communication aid
03.
  - Prosthesis/orthosis for the limbs
03.01.
    - Upper limb prosthesis/orthosis
03.02.
    - Lower limb prosthesis/orthosis

VEHICLE ADAPTATIONS
10.
  - Modified transmission
10.02.
    - Automatic selection of gear ratio
10.04.
    - Adapted transmission control device
15.
  - Modified clutch
15.01.
    - Adapted clutch pedal
15.02.
    - Hand operated clutch
15.03.
    - Automatic clutch
15.04.
    - Measure to prevent obstruction or actuation of clutch pedal
20.
  - Modified braking systems
20.01.
    - Adapted brake pedal
20.03.
    - Brake pedal suitable for use by left foot
20.04.
    - Sliding brake pedal
20.05.
    - Tilted brake pedal
20.06.
    - Hand operated brake
20.07.
    - Brake operation with maximum force of … N (for example: “20.07(300N)”)
20.09.
    - Adapted parking brake
20.12.
    - Measure to prevent obstruction or actuation of brake pedal
20.13.
    - Knee operated brake
20.14.
    - Brake system operation supported by external force
25.
  - Modified accelerator system
25.01.
    - Adapted accelerator pedal
25.03.
    - Tilted accelerator pedal
25.04.
    - Hand operated accelerator
25.05.
    - Knee operated accelerator
25.06.
    - Accelerator operation supported by external force
25.08.
    - Accelerator pedal on the left
25.09.
    - Measure to prevent obstruction or actuation of accelerator pedal
31.
  - Pedal adaptations and pedal safeguards
31.01.
    - Extra set of parallel pedals
31.02.
    - Pedals at (or almost at) the same level
31.03.
    - Measure to prevent obstruction or actuation of accelerator and brake pedals when pedals not operated by foot
31.04.
    - Raised floor
32.
  - Combined service brake and accelerator systems
32.01.
    - Accelerator and service brake as combined system operated by one hand
32.02.
    - Accelerator and service brake as combined system operated by external force
33.
  - Combined service brake, accelerator and steering systems
33.01.
    - Accelerator, service brake and steering as combined system operation by external force with one hand
33.02.
    - Accelerator, service brake and steering as combined system operation by external force with two hands
35.
  - Modified control layouts (lights switches, windscreen wiper/washer, horn, direction indicators, etc.)
35.02.
    - Control devices operable without releasing the steering device
35.03.
    - Control devices operable without releasing the steering device with the left hand
35.04.
    - Control devices operable without releasing the steering device with the right hand
35.05.
    - Control devices operable without releasing the steering device and the accelerator and braking mechanisms
40.
  - Modified steering
40.01.
    - Steering with maximum operation force of … N (for example “40.01(140N)”)
40.05.
    - Adapted steering wheel (larger/thicker steering wheel section, reduced diameter, etc.)
40.06.
    - Adapted position of steering wheel
40.09.
    - Foot operated steering
40.11.
    - Assistive device at steering wheel
40.14.
    - One hand/arm operated alternative adapted steering system
40.15.
    - Two hand/arm operated alternative adapted steering system
42.
  - Modified rear/side view devices
42.01.
    - Adapted device for rear view
42.03.
    - Additional inside device permitting side view
42.05.
    - Blind spot viewing device
43.
  - Driver seating position
43.01.
    - Driver seat height for normal view and in normal distance from the steering wheel and the pedals
43.02.
    - Driver seat adapted to body shape
43.03.
    - Driver seat with lateral support for good stability
43.04.
    - Driver seat with armrest
43.06.
    - Seat belt adaptation
43.07.
    - Seat belt type with support for good stability
44.
  - Modifications to motorcycles (sub-code use obligatory)
44.01.
    - Single operated brake
44.02.
    - Adapted front wheel brake
44.03.
    - Adapted rear wheel brake
44.04.
    - Adapted accelerator
44.08.
    - Seat height allowing the driver, in sitting position, to have two feet on the surface at the same time and balance the motorcycle during stopping and standing.
44.09.
    - Maximum operation force of front wheel brake … N (for example “44.09(140N)”)
44.10.
    - Maximum operation force of rear wheel brake … N (for example “44.10(240N)”)
44.11.
    - Adapted foot-rest
44.12.
    - Adapted hand grip
45.
  - Motorcycle with side-car only
46.
  - Tricycles only
47.
  - Restricted to vehicles of more than two wheels not requiring balance by the driver for starting, stopping and standing
50.
  - Restricted to a specific vehicle/chassis number (vehicle identification number, VIN)
Letters used in combination with codes 01 to 44 for further specification:
a
  - left
b
  - right
c
  - hand
d
  - foot
e
  - middle
f
  - arm
g
  - thumb

LIMITED USE CODES
61.
  - Limited to day time journeys (for example: one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset)
62.
  - Limited to journeys within a radius of … km from holder's place of residence or only inside city/region
63.
  - Driving without passengers
64.
  - Limited to journeys with a speed not greater than … km/h
65.
  - Driving authorised solely when accompanied by a holder of a driving licence of at least the equivalent category
66.
  - Without trailer
67.
  - No driving on motorways
68.
  - No alcohol
69.
  - Restricted to driving vehicles equipped with an alcohol interlock in accordance with EN 50436. Indication of an expiry date is optional (for example “69” or “69(01.01.2016)”)

ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS
70.
  - Exchange of licence No … issued by … (EU/UN distinguishing sign in the case of a third country; for example “70.0123456789.NL”)
71.
  - Duplicate of licence No … (EU/UN distinguishing sign in the case of a third country; for example “71.987654321.HR”)
73.
  - Restricted to category B vehicles of the motor quadricycle type (B1)
78.
  - Restricted to vehicles with automatic transmission
79.
  - (…) Restricted to vehicles which comply with the specifications indicated in brackets, for the application of Article 13 of this Directive
79.01.
    - Restricted to two-wheel vehicles with or without side-car
79.02.
    - Restricted to category AM vehicles of the three-wheel or light quadricycle type
79.03.
    - Restricted to tricycles
79.04.
    - Restricted to tricycles combined with a trailer having a maximum authorised mass not exceeding 750 kg
79.05.
    - Category A1 motorcycle with a power/weight ratio above 0,1 kW/kg
79.06.
    - Category BE vehicle where the maximum authorised mass of the trailer exceeds 3 500 kg
80.
  - Restricted to holders of a driving licence for a category A vehicle of the motor tricycle type not having reached the age of 24 years
81.
  - Restricted to holders of a driving licence for a category A vehicle of the two-wheel motorcycle type not having reached the age of 21 years
95.
  - Driver holding CPC meeting the obligation of professional aptitude provided for by Directive 2003/59/EC until … (for example “95(01.01.12)”)
96.
  - Category B vehicles combined with a trailer with a maximum authorised mass exceeding 750 kg where the maximum authorised mass of such combination exceeds 3 500 kg but does not exceed 4 250 kg
97.
  - Not authorised to drive a category C1 vehicle which falls within the scope of Council Regulation (EEC) No 3821/85
— codes 100 and above
- national codes valid only for driving in the territory of the Member State which issued the licence.
Where a code applies to all categories for which the licence is issued, it may be printed under headings 9, 10 and 11;
OJ L 403, 30.12.2006, p. 18.
Study on the prevention of drink-driving by the use of alcohol interlock devices, see: http://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/pdf/behavior/study_alcohol_interlock.pdf
OJ C 369, 17.12.2011, p. 14.
This force indicates the driver's capability for operating the system.
Council Regulation (EEC) No 3821/85 of 20 December 1985 on recording equipment in road transport (OJ L 370, 31.12.1985, p. 8).’