Child operating automobile, parent seated alongside
Holy smokes, folks! On a Wednesday afternoon blast, a driving instructor and his pupil got a shock when they spotted a car easing around like it was piloted by a tiny tot in the city hall parking lot in Bremerhaven at around 2:20 PM!
Taken aback, the onlookers promptly notified the authorities and supplied the automobile's license plate number. In no time, a police car traced the car in the vicinity. To their surprise, the driver turning out to be an adult, while the youngster was huddled in the passenger seat. It transpired that a swift seat swap had taken place just moments prior, with the 9-year-old moonlighting as the racecar driver, and her 36-year-old mom playing the passenger role for a few crazy laps around the parking lot. As zany as it may sound, public traffic areas simply aren't playgrounds for budding drivers, so cops prepared disciplinary reports.
Image credit: Fotolia
It pays to remember that navigating the driver's seat in public traffic areas is uncommon, even in Bremerhaven, Germany, or elsewhere in the country. Legally, the bar for driving passenger cars (vehicle class B) in Germany is set at 18, following successful completion of both theoretical and practical driver training. Cruising around town unsupervised as a minor is taboo, and any deviation from the rules qualifies as a severe traffic infringement.
If a whippersnapper under 18 were to disobey this rule and take the wheel, the consequences could be dire. The driver would bid farewell to their driving privileges, the vehicle would join the impound lot, the grown-up guardian could be on the hook for the vehicle mayhem, and fines would be in the offing, with the possibility of additional legal wrangling. Any anthills turning into mountains on account of such indiscretions are duly noted in the youngster's official driving record, which can cast a long shadow.
As for the EU, it appears that children being behind the wheel in public roads is an outlier in the official rulebook, unless under tight regulations like operating farm machinery on private property, with rigid age limits and close supervision [2][5]. The only partial exception seen is some European countries allowing moped riders from ages 14 or 15, but that practice is under fire by road safety advocates and fails to meet standards for public cars in Germany [2][5].
Bottom line:- Whizzing around in public traffic in Bremerhaven, Germany, as a kiddie driver? Thought not.- Kids in the driving seat can lead to permanent records, impounded vehicles, fines, and even guardian ramifications.- In Germany, adolescents must twiddle their thumbs with anticipation till their 18th birthday to set off legally. [2][5]
- A child driving in public traffic areas, like the one in Bremerhaven, Germany, is not common and can lead to serious consequences such as vehicle impoundment, fines, driving privilege removal, and legal ramifications for the guardian.
- Although some EU countries allow moped riding by children, doing so in cars is strictly regulated and follows strict age limits, close supervision, and is often heavily criticized by road safety advocates.
