Driver's license debate: Legal expert criticizes farmers' protests as driving without a license

Driver's license debate: Legal expert criticizes farmers' protests as driving without a license

According to a report by www.merkur.de,

Many people have become accustomed to tractors on German roads as a result of the farmers' protests. Traffic lawyers say: Actually, farmers shouldn't be allowed to demonstrate at all. At the end of the farmers' protests this Monday, thousands of tractors once again rolled into the center of Berlin. The demonstrators in the capital were accompanied by around 1,300 police officers. It is unlikely that the staff will fail because the officials do not take a look at the documents. It would definitely be appropriate, said Dieter Müller, professor of traffic law at the Saxon Police University, to Spiegel on Friday. The majority of farmers are traveling without a valid driver's license.

“Class L and T driving licenses entitle you to drive tractors up to 40 km/h and 60 km/h respectively – but only for agricultural and forestry purposes,” says Müller. "If we assume that a demonstration does not fulfill this purpose, then tractors of this size would need a class C truck driving license. I assume that the majority of farmers do not have one. That means: driving without a license."

Uwe Lenhart can confirm the serious allegations when asked by IPPEN.MEDIA. “Professor Müller is right: If the driving license class restriction is violated, driving such a vehicle is no longer covered by the driving license for classes T and L,” says the traffic law specialist.

Lawyer Müller goes one step further and suspects political influence. In the Spiegel interview, he said that the police were not fulfilling their legal mandate to prosecute because it was not politically expedient. "This could be a political requirement from top politicians at the federal and state levels. Then politics overrides the law. Politics creates a legal freedom for farmers."

Müller draws a comparison with the protest actions of the last generation. The activists complain about unequal treatment. While their road blockades are punished very harshly, the farmers are much more lenient. “Double standards apply when the same offense is interpreted differently – which is the case with coercion in road traffic,” says Müller.

My analysis as a financial expert shows that a possible impact of this situation on the market or the financial sector could be that the unequal treatment of crimes and political influence on criminal prosecution could lead to uncertainty among the population. This could lead to a loss of confidence in the rule of law, which in turn could have an impact on the investment climate and economic development. It is important that the rule of law is upheld and that all citizens and actors are treated equally to ensure trust and stability.