Petition launches calling for Category B licence holders to be able to drive motorhomes of up to 4250kg
If the petition was successful, it would see the UK move in line with proposed changes in the EU.
A petition has been launched which is calling for UK licence holders to be able to drive motorhomes with a weight of up to 4250kg on a Category B Licence.
Currently, when it comes to the driving licence you need to drive a motorhome, a typical B category licence will allow you to drive a motorhome with an MTPLM figure of up to 3500kg.
However, the petition, which can be viewed here, is calling to extend this for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the change would put the UK in line with the proposed changes from the EU, but the petition also states that “current laws restrict the size and weight of motorhomes, and many motorhomes just over 3500kg are automatic, which may be helpful for people with disabilities.”
While under the proposed change, category B licence holders would still not be able to drive a motorhome such as the Coachman Avventura 565, as it has an MTPLM of 4500kg, ‘vans such as the Auto-Sleeper Burford Duo, with an MTPLM of 4100kg, could become possible to drive.
The changes from the EU, which were endorsed earlier this year and which member states now have four years to ratify, allow category B licence holders to drive heavier motorhomes as long as they have held their licence for at least two years and as long as the vehicle is “alternatively fuelled” (so only a real niche in the market at the moment). A heavier motorhome which runs on fossil fuel would still be possible to drive, but you would first need to undertake “targeted training or testing”. It is up to individual member states to decide what this entails.
The petition is currently on 5,724 signatures at the time of writing. Assuming it meets 10,000 signatures, it will get a response from the government, and should it reach 100,000 signatures, it will be “considered for debate in parliament”.
Commenting on the proposal, Practical Motorhome’s Editor-in-chief, Sarah Wakely, said: “Changing the licence requirements would help to make motorhoming more accessible to everyone.”
“This proposal would also give manufacturers more scope to provide more payload with their future releases, making it easier to stay safe and legal on the road by preventing overladen vehicles. However, if the licence requirements were amended, we would welcome and encourage anyone who would look to drive a heavier motorhome to take a training course to get them used to their new ‘van”.
Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto
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