Starting this autumn, young drivers in France will no longer be allowed to drive powerful cars. France is banning young drivers from operating a vehicle “with engine power exceeding a specified threshold.”
This ban applies to any car a novice driver operates, including borrowed or rented vehicles. The trigger is a series of serious accidents involving young drivers.
What is a ‘powerful engine’?
The question now is: what constitutes ‘powerful engines’? And where does the French Minister of Mobility set the ‘specified threshold’? And what about electric cars that offer sports-car acceleration? Questions that will have to be answered in the coming weeks.
However, that decision will determine whether the measure becomes an effective road-safety instrument or an outdated horsepower rule unsuited to electric cars.
Italy
Italy already has such a restrictive measure, according to the Flemish Foundation for Traffic Knowledge (Vlaamse Stichting voor Verkeerskunde, VSV). In Italy, holders of a category B driver’s license who have recently obtained it are prohibited, for the first three years, from driving motor vehicles with a power-to-weight ratio exceeding 75 kW/t based on unladen weight – that is roughly 103 hp.
Italian research suggests that the restriction works. Research in 2023 showed that affected novice drivers were around 13% less likely to cause an accident and 28% less likely to cause a fatal crash, mainly because of fewer speeding-related accidents.
Belgium will open a similar debate
France is also considering a two- to three-year period. In any case, novice drivers in France display a white-and-red ‘A’ sticker (‘apprenti’ or learner) on their rear window. That sticker may only be removed after 2 to 3 years, depending on the type of driver training the individual completed.
It is noteworthy that a similar ban is also being considered in Belgium. Mobility Minister Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engagés) has stated in response that, following the French example, he wants to “open a debate on gradual access to more powerful vehicles, especially for less experienced drivers.”
Mobility Professor Dirk Lauwers (UA/UGent) is favorably disposed toward the idea, although he believes the limit that would be imposed in our country warrants further study. “By the way, a ban like the one in France will not solve the problem of young road fatalities,” the mobility professor believes. “But it can contribute to greater awareness.”
Opposition
Opponents point out that not all parents can afford a smaller car for their children. Mobility organization Touring also believes the focus should not be on the car itself, but on training and driving behavior.
The Belgian road safety institute Vias also points out that young people can drive dangerously in small, low-powered cars. At the same time, more powerful modern vehicles often contain better crash protection and driver-assistance systems.
But what about electric cars?
And what about electric cars, which have their full acceleration power available immediately? Because with even modest electric cars offering sports-car acceleration, deciding which vehicles should be off-limits is becoming increasingly difficult.
In any case, if a ban were ever to be introduced in Belgium, the main question would be where to draw the line. New electric cars often have (far) more horsepower than cars with internal combustion engines.
Torque
Electric motors deliver their torque almost instantly. Stability and traction control can limit wheelspin, but they cannot prevent every inappropriate throttle input, misjudged overtaking maneuver, or excessive entry speed into a bend.
A suitable rule for the electric era may therefore need to combine peak output, power-to-weight ratio, vehicle mass, and actual acceleration – a characteristic feature of electric vehicles.
A certified novice driver mode could provide another solution. A specific key or driver profile could limit torque, acceleration, and maximum speed whenever an inexperienced driver uses the family EV.
