Romania's Government approved on Wednesday the National Road Safety Strategy for the period 2016-2020 and the Action Plan for implementing the strategy, which aims to increase road safety and decrease the number of deaths caused by road accidents.

The strategy is structured on several courses of action, such as institutional strengthening and coordination, the human factor in road safety, improving medical and psychological assessment, and training and examination.

The document provides stricter rules for the driver license exam. In the short term, the strategy includes the introduction of video surveillance for exams for professional certificates. In the long run, the law will be changed so that driving schools will be able to extend their operating authorization only if 50% of their students pass the exam.

According to the document put up for debate by the Ministry of Transport, those who want to become drivers would have to finish the compulsory education first (10 grades), reports local Hotnews.ro.

Moreover, the strategy provides the creation of the legal framework necessary for the rehabilitation and counseling of drivers with serious and repeated violations of traffic rules, especially for professional drivers.

The Government also plans to create university and post-graduate programs, as well as training in road safety, which would be introduced by universities in partnership with institutions with skills and expertise in this field. The actions will also target the improvement of the medical and psychological assessment of those who want to get the driver license.

Moreover, the cars involved in accidents will go back on the road only after a technical safety inspection. Also, the medical examination for drivers will be more frequent after they reach a certain age.

According to the strategy, these actions to be assumed by Romania are in line with the guidelines provided by the European Commission for the 2011-2020.

Romanian MP wants two more tests at driver license exam

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com