Driving license in Russia

Main article: Digital driver's license

Driving schools in Russia

Main article: Driving schools in Russia

2024: Reduction in driver's license issuance by 2% to 1.34 million documents

The number of issued driver's licenses in Russia in 2024 decreased by 2%, amounting to 1.34 million documents. As it became known from the message of the traffic police of Russia, made on February 18, 2025, with a general decrease in the number of issues, the share of candidates who successfully passed the exam in urban conditions on the first attempt increased to 13.8%.

According to Motorpage, the improvement in the quality of driver training is associated with changes in the regulations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which entered into force on April 1, 2024. Now candidates are allowed to score up to seven penalty points instead of five, but after three unsuccessful attempts, retaking is possible only after 6-9 months.

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Фото: Freepik

Distribution of issued driver's licenses by category in 2024:

• Category B (passenger cars) - more than 1 million rights.
• Category C (trucks) - 123 thousand rights.
• Category A (motorcycles) - 83.4 thousand rights.

In the segment of professional drivers, there are multidirectional trends. The number of category D (bus) rights issued decreased by 10% due to tightening requirements for candidates. At the same time, the number of drivers with category CE (trucks with trailers) increased by 26%.

The number of issued driver's licenses for driving motorcycles has grown significantly. Category A rights increased by 11% and Category A1 (light motorcycles) by 36%. This trend is directly related to the growth in motorcycle sales, which reached 58% in a year.

In 2023, only 12.1% of candidates managed to successfully pass the exam in urban conditions on the first attempt. The introduction of new exam rules has raised requirements for driver training, forcing candidates to devote more time to pre-trial training and practice.

Experts note that the increase in the number of CE drivers is associated with a shortage of personnel in the field of commercial transportation and a subsequent increase in wages in the industry. The increased popularity of motorcycle rights is due to the increased availability of new models, including Chinese-made ones.^[1]

2023

Reducing the number of people deprived of a license for drunk driving to 262 thousand people

The number of drivers deprived of their license to drive while intoxicated in 2023 reached the minimum value over the past five years and amounted to 262 thousand people. State traffic inspectorates TAdviser I got acquainted with such data in December 2024.

According to TASS, in 2023, the courts issued more than 262 thousand decisions on the deprivation of driver's licenses with the appointment of an administrative fine for driving while intoxicated and refusing a medical examination. This represents 77% of the total number of disenfranchised drivers.

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Фото: Freepik

Statistics show a steady decline in indicators: in 2022 and 2021, about 284 thousand such decisions were issued, in 2020 - 277 thousand, in 2019 - almost 287 thousand. The total number of identified violators who drove drunk cars or refused a medical examination reached 478 thousand.

The current legislation provides for the deprivation of a driver's license not only for drunk driving, but also for other serious violations. These include speeding by more than 60 km/h, entering the oncoming lane, leaving the scene of an accident and re-driving an unregistered car.

Drivers can also lose their rights for illegally installing flashing beacons or sirens, disguising a car as special vehicles, using fake license plates or not having them. A similar punishment is provided for violation of the rules for the transportation of dangerous goods and crossing railway crossings.

Compared to previous years, there is a general decrease in the number of violations: in 2022, 455 thousand violators were identified, in 2021 - 463 thousand, in 2020 - 464 thousand, in 2019 - 467 thousand cases of driving while intoxicated.^[2]

Increase in the number of issued rights to 1.37 million units

In 2023, the State Traffic Inspectorate in Russia issued 1.37 million driver's licenses against 1.35 million units a year earlier. This is evidenced by the traffic police data published at the end of February 2024.

As Kommersant writes with reference to the statistics of the department, in 2023, Russians received 1.06 million category B driver's licenses, as well as 128.7 thousand - category C, 74.6 thousand - category A, 31.4 thousand - category D. 1.1 thousand citizens received tram rights, 785 - trolleybus. The issuance of international driver's licenses in 2023 exceeded 181 thousand units.

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Фото: Unsplash

In Moscow in 2023, more than 320 thousand driver's licenses were issued, of which 16 thousand were to residents of the LPR, DPR, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions. They can get Russian-style rights instead of Ukrainian ones without retaking the exam.

In Tatarstan, in 2023, about 45 thousand driver's licenses were issued in the traffic police departments. This is 32% less than a year earlier. Those who exchanged rights in the region became 40% less.

From the materials of the traffic police it also follows that in 2023 the total number of exams for obtaining driver's licenses decreased to 6.93 million from 7.06 million in 2022. On the first attempt, 36% of citizens passed the theoretical exam, and the practical part of the exam was 12%. The last indicator is associated with tightening the rules for passing exams in 2021, Kommersant notes.

According to traffic police statistics, the number of accidents with drivers with management experience of up to two years in 2023 increased by 3.2% and amounted to 8 thousand. 736 people died in them, 11.4 thousand were wounded.

At the end of December 2023, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation announced a decision to extend the driver's license for three years, which expires in 2024 and 2025. This step was made in order to reduce the administrative burden for citizens and businesses.^[3]

2021: Only 12.3% of Russians pass on a driver's license the first time

From the first time, only 12.3% of Russians pass on a driver's license. Such data at the end of 2021, the head of the department for organizing examination activities and providing public services of the traffic police of the Russian Federation Nikolai Gilyakov published in March 2022. According to him, in 2020, the share of driving school graduates who were able to pass the traffic police exam on the first attempt was 30%.

The traffic police note that 7.7 million exams were held in 2021, while only 3 million candidates for drivers reached the practical test. The department associates this with changes in legislation, as well as the unwillingness of citizens to them. In particular, it is now impossible to "run" the route in advance, since according to the new regulations, the inspector can choose it arbitrarily, in a pre-designated area.

The number of driving school graduates who were able to pass the traffic police driver's exam the first time decreased from 32% in 2020 to 12.3% in 2021.

From April 1, 2021, a single exam is used in Russia in real traffic conditions, while until that moment, cadets demonstrated part of their skills on closed platforms. At the same time, representatives of driving schools told Kommersant that in fact the situation is not related to the quality of training, but to the shortcomings of the regulations themselves.

Some of his moments are interpreted ambiguously, so mistakes involuntarily arise. A person receives "did not pass" and then goes to retake five to six times, - said the director of the "First Driving School" (Orsk, Orenburg Region) Gennady Khorev.

He cited one of the common cases as an example: a student on the examiner's command turns around, having previously made sure that there are no cars nearby, but during the maneuver, a car leaves the intersection. The inspector puts "bad," referring to the fact that it is forbidden to interfere with movement. However, the cadet cannot foresee this situation, Khorev noted.

Most often, during the driver's license exam, candidates hesitantly use the controls and do not turn on the turn indicators. In addition, students of driving schools do not comply with the requirements of road signs and experience problems with maneuvering in the parking lot.^[4]

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