Danish teen driving experiment a success so far

Youngsters involved in few accidents during first year

A trial programme started a year ago allowing 17-year-olds in Denmark to get a driving licence has been a great success thus far.

Since the programme was put in place, over 15,000 young Danes have successfully earned a driving licence. According to Tryg – Denmark’s largest insurer, covering over one fifth of policyholders – 17-year-olds have only been involved in four accidents since the new law took effect on January 1, and the young drivers were only at fault in two of those.

“These are great numbers that bode well for the future,” Tryg spokesperson Mogens Olesen told Metro Express. “We are very positive about the scheme.”

No drinking allowed, even on the shotgun side
Newly-minted drivers are required to have an experienced driver along as a passenger until they reach 18-years-old, which seems to be helping keep the rookie motorists out of accident statistics. All 17-year-old drivers must be accompanied in the vehicle by a driver with a a minimum of 10 years of experience behind the wheel and who is at least 30-years-old. The companion must be ready to intervene at any time and are subject to the same drug and alcohol requirements as if they themselves were driving.

The trial programme was originally scheduled for three years, but Olesen thinks the positive numbers so far will insure that it will continue.

READ MORE: Young Danes driving safer, but insurance premiums remain high

“I do not think these numbers are coincidental,” he said. “I am convinced that it has a huge preventive effect that a parent is sitting next to when driving a car which allows you to gain experience as a motorist in a safer environment, and parents have shown that they take this responsibility very seriously.”

The price of a driving course in Denmark is typically between 12,000 and 14,000 kroner.





  • How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    Being part of a trade union is a long-established norm for Danes. But many internationals do not join unions – instead enduring workers’ rights violations. Find out how joining a union could benefit you, and how to go about it.

  • Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals are overrepresented in the lowest-paid fields of agriculture, transport, cleaning, hotels and restaurants, and construction – industries that classically lack collective agreements. A new analysis from the Workers’ Union’s Business Council suggests that internationals rarely join trade unions – but if they did, it would generate better industry standards.

  • Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    The numbers are especially striking amongst the 3,477 business and economics students polled, of whom 31 percent elected Novo Nordisk as their favorite, compared with 20 percent last year.