Vol. 436 No. 4
160 Mrs. Doyle asked the Minister for the Environment the reason a South African driving licence is not accepted in this country, in view of the fact that a strict written and practical driving test is required in South Africa, that they speak the same language and that they drive on the same side of the road.
South African driving licences do not distinguish between drivers who have passed driving tests in vehicles with automatic transmission and drivers who qualified in vehicles with manual transmission. Since the EC Directive on driving licences requires that drivers who pass tests in vehicles with automatic transmission should only be given licences limited to that category of vehicle, it would not be appropriate to give recognition to South African licences for exchange purposes.
