Motoring fines to fund driving lessons for hard-pressed young adults

TRAFFIC fines will help fund driving lessons and tests for young adults with little or no income – it's official.

Left-wing party Podemos, in coalition the socialists (PSOE) in national government, proposed that fines for motoring offences be used at least in part for the under-26 age group where they were out of a job or otherwise on very low incomes so that they could meet the costs of learning to drive and pass a test, and Parliament has now agreed unanimously to do so.

Podemos points out that young adults without a driving licence or a job were in a catch-22 situation – they are unable to attend interviews or apply for jobs that would require commuting if they lived in an area with insufficient public transport, such as anywhere outside a major city, and yet, unless they were able to get to a job every day, would never be able to afford driving school fees.

General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) figures showed that, as at 2017, up to 73% of all driving school pupils failed their first test, which adds to the costs.

Also, in Spain, lessons can only be taken via an approved driving academy – normally a physical premises under State control – as it is illegal for them to drive, even off-road and accompanied by an experienced older motorist, until they have passed their test.

Doing so would mean they face a criminal conviction for driving without a valid licence, and this would also apply to the adult supervising them.

Additionally, Spanish learners have to pass a theory test which involves heavy revision and studying and a set number of face-to-face classes – albeit nearly always online at present, due to the pandemic.

Young adults benefiting from the traffic-fine pot would not see their unemployment allowances, contributory or non-contributory, affected as a result.

Podemos says: “We cannot let a generation which we expect to lead our country in the future feel as though it has been left to its own devices.

“Our youth is the highest-qualified and educated in history and yet they are finding it increasingly harder to get their first jobs, or jobs of quality, which would guarantee them a viable life project to set the basis for their future.”

The move will also help driving schools to stay in business – high youth unemployment, low wages and insecure or menial jobs among the young, mean fewer and fewer of them are taking lessons.

An estimated 30,000 families in Spain have at least one member employed by a driving school.

Additionally, it will help stem the 'rural exodus', whereby Spain's remotest parts are losing population hand over fist due to working-aged and childbearing-aged adults having to move away to be able to get jobs – in these areas, not having the use of a car means residents are essentially stuck in their village.

This aside, many jobs specify that the applicant must have a driving licence, and in some cases, their own car.

“For many families with young adults, learning to drive is a luxury,” Podemos says.

Right-wing parties PP and Vox dissented, but only on a point of law, since they said it would 'clash' with the latest and third amendment to Spain's road traffic legislation, which would have to be rewritten to 'reflect the obligation to use motoring fines to finance road safety, accident prevention and assistance to car crash victims'.

These are other elements which fines are used to fund.

Also, the PP wanted the age bracket for driving test aid to be increased to all adults under 30, which at present has not been approved.

The actual format of the fine money assistance is not yet clear, but anyone who believes they may qualify for it will be able to seek advice at an approved driving school.