More driving licenses issued last year than in 2020

Last year, 7.8 percent more new driving licenses were issued than was the case a year earlier, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) reported Monday. There were 178,000 new driving license holders, which is still 17.7 percent less than before the corona pandemic.

More than 11.4 million people were in possession of a car driving license on January 1 of this year, which is 1.3 percent less than on January 1, 2020. Due to the corona measures, no driving tests could be taken for several months.

“During the lockdown that took effect on December 19, 2021, driving lessons and driving tests were allowed to continue because they were then considered an essential service. The number of new driving licenses issued in December 2021 was higher than in December of the previous two years,” he said. the CBS.

According to the CBS, the fact that driving tests could not be taken temporarily had an impact mainly on young people. “Among young people aged 17, the number of car license holders decreased by 17 percent to 10,000 in 2021 compared to the previous year. Compared to 2019, the year before the corona crisis, there was even a decrease of 45.4 percent.”

Driving license possession among people aged 75 and older has actually grown over the past three years. During the corona crisis, it was possible to continue driving for longer with an expired driving license due to the postponement of renewal. “Older people who would normally let their driving license expire, for example because of health problems, could keep their driving license for longer.”