Part 1 – Traffic probation study

With the third regulation on exemptions from the regulations of the driving licence regulation, the basis for the pilot project and thus the acquisition of the driving licence class (FE class) AM at the age of 15 was created with effect from 1 May 2013 for the federal states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The aim of the evaluation was, on the one hand, to examine whether the pilot project would have an impact on the observable traffic probation. On the other hand, the question was examined as to whether lowering the minimum age has an impact on the attractiveness of the FE classes that can be acquired in the further course of life.

Gender-specific preferences in the acquisition of FE classes, which are also known from official statistics, can be shown. Young men are more likely to purchase two-wheeler classes, including the FE class AM. This is true both in the pilot project states and in the comparison states (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Brandenburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony and Bavaria). Settlement structural differences in the acquisition of driving licences (FE acquisition) also become clear. Here, too, it can be shown for the pilot project states and the comparison states that significantly more people acquire the FE class AM in rural areas.

In summary, it can be stated that the proportion of young people with traffic problems is very low. While more young people from the federal states participating in the pilot project have committed a traffic offence requiring registration, more young people from the federal states of the comparison group have lost the right to drive vehicles requiring a driving licence. Since only male youths had their driving licence (FE) withdrawn in the first year after acquiring FE-Class AM, this could indicate a greater willingness to take risks.

It should be considered whether this observation should be taken into account in driving licence training. Overall, both groups show a high attractiveness of accompanied driving from the age of 17 (BF17). Despite the short observation period, however, differences in FE acquisition are also discernible among the persons surveyed. Young people from the comparison states participate more frequently in the BF17. For young people from the pilot states, on the other hand, the acquisition of FE class A1 is somewhat more attractive. The majority of young people are only entitled to drive faster vehicles once they have taken part in BF17. As a result, the one year younger participants in the pilot project participate in motorised road traffic for a longer period of time with a two-wheeled moped.

It can also be seen that in the pilot project states the acquisition of the FE-Class AM has increased in contrast to the comparison states. This trend is in line with a slight increase in the vehicle density of two-wheeled mopeds in the pilot project states. At the same time, fewer and fewer 16-year-olds from the pilot project states opted to acquire the FE-Class A1 as an entry-level class for their driving careers.

In summary, it should be said that statements on the impact on the observable traffic probation should only be made with great reservations. In order to be able to assess the effects of the pilot project in a well-founded manner, self-reported traffic violations should be included in the assessment.

Part 2 – Survey study

By lowering the minimum age for obtaining the AM driving license to 15 years, the legislator is pursuing the goal of improving the mobility of young people, particularly in rural areas. In the survey study on the evaluation of the AM15 pilot project in the federal states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, which have been involved in AM15 since the beginning of the measure, 15-year-old holders of an AM-driving license from the trial countries will be interviewed. Also 15- and 16-yearold holders of a light moped (Mofa) license or an AM or A1 license from the non-model test countries of Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Lower Saxony will be interviewed. The survey questions focus on aspects of the holders’ road safety (falls, crashes, risk awareness), their mobility behaviour and their intention to acquire further driving licenses.

The initial survey of the AM15 participants was answered in full by 906 and the repeated survey by 360 young people. A total of 2,127 young people took part in the one-time survey for the comparison groups in the model and non-model test countries surveyed.

In 2015 on average, about one in ten 15-year-old youths in the pilot countries acquires the AM15 driving licence and remains in the model test for an average of 7.6 months. After obtaining their driving licence, the 15-year-old drivers immediately integrate the motorised two-wheeler into their everyday mobility routine. However, they hardly open up new categories of destinations and largely substitute other forms of transport (bicycle, public transport, lift by parents). At the second time of the survey, all AM15 participants travel an average of 50.0 kilometers per week (arithmetic mean: 86.7 kilometers), while the mobile users travel an average of 62.0 kilometers per week (arithmetic mean: 103.6 kilometers). At the same time, the number of 15-year-old small motorcyclists in the official crash statistics has risen sharply. The self-reports of the AM15 participants also document conspicuous falls and crashes.

Compared to the control groups of the A1 drivers, AM15 participants usually show a significantly lower risk perception. The comparison with the perception of the dangers faced by moped drivers is inconsistent. With regard to risk exposure, AM15 drivers reveal more frequently risky behaviours in
comparison with the control groups, which indicates a less pronounced safety awareness.

In their further driving career, the 15-year-olds primarily intend to acquire a car driving license, usually in the “accompanied driving”-mode from the age of 17 onwards. The acquisition of further driving licenses for more powerful motorcycles is not predominant among AM15 participants.