New driving licence rules have been suggested by campaigners, with hundreds of thousands of road users affected.
Campaigners are calling for new driving licence rules (Image: Getty)
Campaigners are demanding the introduction of new driving licence rules which could impact over 200,000 drivers in the UK. A new Parliament petition is demanding an increase in the maximum size of motorhomes that road users can legally travel with.
Under current rules, motorists can only drive motorhomes of up to 3,500kg on a normal licence. However, campaigners claim that some automatic motorhomes, which are ideal for those with disabilities, are slightly heavier. They therefore have argued that an extension to allow road users to drive motorhomes of up to 4,250kg was justified.
Changes around maximum motorhome weight rules are being introduced in the EU (Image: Getty)
The petition reads: “We want the UK to allow UK license holders to drive motorhomes up to 4250kg on UK Category B Licenses, in line with proposed changes from the EU.
“Current laws allow Category B car license holders to drive motorhomes up to 3,500 kg. We feel current laws restrict the size and weight of motorhomes, and many motorhomes just over 3,500kg are automatic, which may be helpful for people with disabilities.”
Exact numbers on the exact amount of motorhomes are unknown, but estimates have suggested that as many as 290,000 are registered on UK roads. The calls have emerged after the European Parliament and Council agreed on an amendment to the EU Driving Licence Directive.
This will allow class B driving licence holders to get behind the wheel of motorhomes of up to 4,250kg. A timeline has yet to be specified for the change, although the UK does not have to introduce the updates due to Brexit.
The petition is set to run until April 2026, meaning road users have plenty of time to have their say. Over 1,000 people have already signed the poll, with 10,000 responses needed for the petition to receive an official Government response.
The matter will only be debated by MPs in Parliament if over 100,000 signatures are received before the deadline next Spring.
GOV.UK explains: “The licence you need to drive a motorhome depends on your age and the vehicle’s maximum authorised mass (MAM). This is the vehicle’s weight plus the maximum load it can carry.
“To drive a motorhome with a MAM of between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes, you need a category C1 licence. To drive a motorhome with a MAM of over 7.5 tonnes, you need a category C licence.”
