Teen in Germany loses his licence 3 hours after turning 18

In the German city of Heilbronn (Baden-Württemberg), on the night from Saturday to Sunday an 18-year-old driver staged a dangerous race around a roundabout just three hours after gaining the right to drive without a supervising adult, and ended up crashing into several trees and a road sign with four friends in the car.

The young man turned 18 at 2:50 a.m. — the age from which driving a car without a supervising adult is allowed in Germany (from age 17, driving is only permitted together with someone listed in a special register). The newly minted adult decided to mark the occasion with a reckless drive: he raced several times at speed around the roundabout together with four friends.

According to police, the driver was going too fast and eventually lost control — the car hit several trees and a road sign. The crash woke the neighbourhood: despite the late hour, quite a few onlookers gathered at the scene. All five young people in the car were injured and needed hospital treatment. Police temporarily closed the surrounding streets, and the driver's licence was confiscated on the spot.

The car is beyond repair

The car was so badly wrecked that it had to be towed away — investigators called the damage a total write-off. According to local media, the young man had spent months preparing to drive on his own: he put thousands of euros into it and passed his test successfully. But less than a day after turning 18, his long-awaited licence was gone.

The reckless drive will also cost the young driver financially: getting a car licence in Germany costs on average between €3,500 and €6,000 (85,441 to 146,470 crowns) — among the highest rates in the EU.

Read also: Exchanging a driving licence for a Czech one

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz