Voluntarily hand in a driver's license: Over 200 Hamburgers show responsibility!

In Hamburg, more than 200 people voluntarily gave their driving license until the beginning of December 2024. This represents a decline compared to the previous year, as a total of 335 waiver. The proportion of seniors among the dispensers in 2023 was around a third. In 2022, only 151 people in Hamburg left their driver's license.

Some of those who do without their driver's license do this to precede withdrawal. The voluntary submission of the driver's license is free of charge, while withdrawal is associated with costs. Specific data on the age and gender of the disposal are not known to the authority.

Reasons for the waiver of driving license

like netz-50plus.de in particular give seniors their driving license for various reasons. The frequently mentioned causes include:

• declining eyesight
• lack of concentration
• Delayed react in certain situations
• Difficulties in seeing dark or dusk
• hearing problems
• addiction diseases (e.g. alcohol, drugs)
• strong vision or blindness
• diseases with sudden failures at the wheel (e.g. heart problems, motor restrictions, epilepsy)

There is no legal obligation to submit the driver's license, but responsible action is emphasized in this context. For people who have not driven for a long time, refresher courses can help to feel safe on road traffic again. There is also interest in offers for refresher courses, such as traffic skills or intensive training.

The driver's license is submitted informally at the responsible driving license authority or driver's license office and can also be made by post with a written declaration. If you voluntarily do without your driver's license, you can apply for it later, but you have to take a new driving test. Previous points in the traffic central register have been preserved. In the event of a withdrawal by an authority, specific deadlines must be observed before applying for reopening

by January 19, 2025, millions of Germans are obliged to change their driver's license, especially the years from 1971.