The DGT plans to remove code 78 from the driving licence

The Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT) is planning to introduce a change to the driving licence. A lot has been said about the driving licence valid only for automatic cars. Well, the DGT could now eliminate Code 78, which would mean drivers of automatic cars could get behind the wheel of any manual vehicle.

We haven’t gone crazy, and we haven’t overindulged in torrijas either. In Spain you could take your driving test in an automatic car. In that case, your licence would show Code 78, meaning you could only drive cars with an automatic gearbox. If for any reason you wanted to drive a manual car, you would have to retake the test. Now, the National Confederation of Driving Schools is calling for this code to be scrapped, and everything points to the DGT possibly doing so.

The DGT could remove Code 78 from the driving licence

If Code 78 is finally eliminated, as the National Confederation of Driving Schools proposes, anyone currently getting their licence in an automatic car could drive a manual car without any restriction. In addition, all drivers who already hold a licence for automatic cars would also see the restriction removed, as is happening in other countries of the European Union. The truth is that these drivers have started taking practical lessons to adapt to manual gearboxes in a much safer way.

As the National Confederation of Driving Schools states, the removal of Code 78 could ease the backlog that currently exists for taking the various traffic exams. They also point out that it would boost the purchase of electrified vehicles, models that feature different automatic gearboxes. They add that many prospective drivers would have no problem opting for automatic models, knowing they could also drive manuals.

Pere Navarro, director of the Directorate-General for Traffic, recently stated that the National Confederation of Driving Schools “is right” in this respect, but he also acknowledges that “the first contact with driving is the driving school, and we want to promote electric or hybrid vehicles”. We will have to wait a few months to learn the outcome of the famous Code 78 on driving licences. What do you think: is this a correct measure, or do you think it could cause more traffic accidents?