Digital driving licence is coming

The German government intends to amend the Road Traffic Act to digitize services in road traffic. The ZDK welcomes the plans.

With the fifth amendment to the Road Traffic Act, the German Federal Government aims to create the conditions for digitizing various road traffic services. This includes allowing driver's licenses to be carried on smartphones instead of as physical cards, and providing options for digital parking enforcement using scanning vehicles.

The Central Association of the German Motor Vehicle Industry The German Association of Motor Trades and Repairs (ZDK) welcomes the draft legislation as an important step towards a digital road traffic law. However, it is crucial that the planned regulations are implemented in a practical, proportionate, and fair manner. The digitization of driver's licenses and vehicle documents offers significant opportunities to reduce the burden on citizens, businesses, and public administration.

Important questions remain unanswered

The draft law creates a comprehensive legal framework that guarantees data security, data protection, and legal certainty. A phased introduction of the digital driving licence is necessary, as key questions, such as those concerning EU-wide compatibility, technical monitoring, and integration into fleet management systems, remain unresolved.

The ZDK also welcomes the planned digital access to certificates of conformity and recall information via the vehicle identification number, because it creates more transparency, strengthens consumer protection and makes the work of the automotive industry easier.

Do not create additional bureaucracy

"Digitalization in road traffic must not be an end in itself, but must noticeably simplify everyday life for drivers, businesses and authorities," says ZDK President Thomas Peckruhn. "It is crucial that new digital solutions create trust and not additional bureaucracy or legal uncertainty."

Digital parking enforcement primarily strengthens the efficiency and effectiveness of monitoring. It is also positive that the draft legislation already establishes clear protection standards such as purpose limitation and data privacy. Crucially, these standards must be consistently implemented locally, and the measures must remain proportionate, especially when it comes to digital enforcement against illegal stopping and parking.

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