Government Council evaluated L-17, drivers supervised by a mentor drive safely6/2/2025|Press releasesSeventeen-year-old drivers who are accompanied by a mentor commit significantly fewer offences than 18-year-old licence holders. The new option is used by 20% of drivers who have obtained the licence this year. This is shown by data from the Ministry of Transport, which were evaluated on Tuesday by the Czech Government Council for Road Safety. The Council also approved draft measures aimed at further reducing the number of road fatalities and serious injuries over the next two years. "The goal of L-17 is to empower responsible parents to guide their children through their first months behind the steering wheel and help them become better drivers. The expected effect has really arrived: 17-year-old drivers and their mentors drive really safely. They have committed only 50 scored offences since the beginning of the year. Drivers over the age of 18 who obtained a Group B licence this year have already recorded 565 such offences since January," transport minister Martin Kupka said. There has already been interest in the L-17 institute in the first year of its introduction. Of the total number of Group B driving licences granted between January and the end of October, 20.0% used the L 17 scheme. This compares to 46.2% of 17 and 18 year olds. Since the beginning of the year, there have been 38,551 mentors registered. The average is 1.68 registered mentors per L-17 driver. The largest share of mentors is in the 41-50 age group, with 11,916 mentors (58.3%). "This confirms that the mentor who accompanies a 17-year-old driver in traffic is usually one of their parents," Kupka said. Statistics also show that the proportion of men and women among the registered mentors is approximately equal. The proportion of men is 51.6%, while the proportion of women is 48.4%. L-17 is an important element of the amendment to the Road Traffic Act, effective since 1 January 2024. Regarding serious accidents, drivers under the age of 24 are the most at risk and also the most vulnerable group. Of the total number of road accidents in the Czech Republic, 11% are caused by drivers with less than 2 years' experience. However, this group of very young drivers accounts for only 3% of the total number of drivers. The Government's BESIP 2021-2030 Strategy therefore focuses on this group. The Government Road Safety Council has supported the introduction of the L-17 institute in the past as one of the tools for effective prevention. L-17 has been operating successfully in a number of European countries such as Germany, Austria and Slovakia. The Ministry of Transport and its BESIP department promote awareness of L-17 through a number of activities. Mentors have access to the Driving School Association manual and also the L17 app which they use, for example, to help guide and develop a young driver's knowledge and skills. On the BESIP website, the parties interested can find all the information about L-17 and the new penalty points system. Prior to the launch of the new legislation, BESIP ran an information campaign on L-17 on radio, TV and in social media, where the BESIP spot featuring internet filmmaker Mikýř was seen by more than 500,000 people. BESIP organised in cooperation with the Pardubice Region three safe driving courses for L-17 drivers and mentors at the Vysoké Mýto polygon. It included training of crisis situations on the training area, but also feedback from instructors on the real driving of the driver and mentor in road traffic. "Having analysed L-17 in countries where it has been in place for a long time, we know that drivers who start with their parent have fewer accidents and fewer offences afterwards, even when driving alone, than those who do not make use of L-17. However, it is important that mentors prepare for their role. They must be active and give young drivers the necessary advice," said Tomáš Neřold, head of the BESIP department at the Ministry of Transport. Information on L-17, driving school and road behaviour in crisis situations is also part of the "Zero Hour Driving School" project, which BESIP, together with police and Fire Brigade preventionists, has been offering to secondary schools since last year. "Since 2023, we have held more than 100 project days in secondary schools, informing more than 8,000 students about the L-17 option and the principles of safe driving," Neřold explained. This activity will continue in the next two years as one of the measures approved by the Government Council for Road Safety for the period 2025-2026. The systematic removal of accident sites on regional roads will also continue with the financial support of the State Fund for Transport Infrastructure. A flat assessment of category 1 roads in terms of their safety level will be carried out, leading to civil upgrades of these risk points. Police surveillance of the most dangerous offences such as speeding, alcohol and substance abuse and holding of a mobile phone will also be an essential tool for improving safety. In the next two years, BESIP's prevention campaigns will focus, among other things, on the safety of motorcyclists, whose number in road traffic is increasing and is unfortunately associated with a high number of fatalities and serious injuries. Contact: Tomáš Neřold Head of the BESIP Department of the Ministry of Transport 602 632 176 tomas.nerold@mdcr.cz