Trucks at 17: The European measure that pits the need for drivers against the limits of the adolescent brain

Teenagers don’t usually sit around talking about logistics crises or population pyramids in the transport sector, but the recent approval of the new EU directive on driving licences has brought the debate to the family dinner table. The flagship measure of the reform, which allows accompanied driving of trucks from the age of 17, has been approved to mitigate a critical situation: the shortage of half a million professional drivers in Europe, where the average age is around 47 and only 5% of truck drivers are under 25.

Economic pressure and the need to renew an ageing workforce are the main arguments in favour. With 30% of European drivers over 55 and 17% of the current workforce expected to retire by 2029, the collapse of road freight transport is a real threat. For trade associations such as the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, bringing forward training allows young people to “accumulate practice and experience” during their apprenticeship, eliminating the downtime between finishing their studies and being able to work, thus increasing the attractiveness of a profession in decline. However, the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) warns that this is not the underlying solution: lowering the age will not fix the precarious working conditions or low wages that drive young people away.

Faced with economic urgency, road safety advocates raise their voices with compelling data. Ellen Townsend, Commissioner at the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), has called the measure a “terrible idea”, arguing that young drivers of heavy vehicles are much more likely to be involved in an accident. Neuroscientific evidence supports this concern: the adolescent brain is still in a maturation process that extends up to the age of 25, affecting executive functions such as working memory, risk perception and impulse control – critical skills for handling large vehicles.

Accident statistics in Europe are sobering. Between 2018 and 2022, an average of 1,058 young drivers aged 18 to 24 died each year in traffic accidents, and the mortality rate for 18- and 19-year-old drivers is the highest of all age groups. The risk is not limited to the novice driver: for every young person killed, approximately 1.3 more people – whether passengers or other road users – also lose their lives, demonstrating the devastating multiplier effect of a crash. Inexperience, a tendency to be distracted and an inability to gauge high-risk situations are the causes behind this excess accident rate.

The main battleground for proponents of the measure is the German model of “accompanied driving from 17” (BF17). Studies carried out in Germany yielded positive results: in their first year of solo driving, young people trained under this system suffered 17% fewer accidents and committed 15% fewer infractions than those who obtained their licence at 18 in the conventional way. Critics, such as the ETSC, argue that this success cannot be extrapolated: the German model refers to cars, not heavy-goods vehicles – a “totally different domain” with far greater responsibility and complexity for a developing brain.

In conclusion, putting a 17-year-old behind the wheel of a truck is a very high-risk social experiment, no matter how well supervised. Evidence shows that although accompanied driving can reduce accident rates in cars, moving to a heavy vehicle requires a level of neurological maturity that biology simply does not grant at that age. The European Union has opted for a short-term solution to a structural problem, leaving the final decision in the hands of member states. If they choose to apply the measure, the key will be to establish rigorous filters and accompaniment systems far stricter than those currently in place for cars, so that the solution to the driver shortage does not become a bloodbath on the roads. Technical training is necessary, but behind the wheel of a truck, experience and a fully developed brain remain the most irreplaceable elements for guaranteeing safety.