BF17 (Begleitetes Fahren ab 17)
Also known as: Accompanied Driving 17 · German driving licence at 17
BF17 — Begleitetes Fahren ab 17 — is the German Accompanied Driving programme: a Klasse B driving licence at age 17, followed by mandatory accompaniment by registered experienced drivers until the 18th birthday.
In accompanied driving from age 17, a Klasse B or BE licence is issued with an accompaniment condition. Before the 18th birthday, at least one registered accompanying person must be present (Section 48a FeV).
Requirements for the accompanying person include:
- being at least 30 years old,
- having held a valid Klasse B licence or an equivalent licence for at least five years,
- having no more than one point in the Driver Suitability Register at the relevant application date.
The examination certificate initially replaces the driving-licence card. At 18 the accompaniment condition ends; the licensing authority issues the card on application.
The BASt publication “Sicherheitswirksamkeit des Begleiteten Fahrens ab 17” (M 218, 2011) reports fewer accident involvements among former BF17 participants in their first year of independent driving than in the same-age comparison group. This is a finding from that study, not a guarantee for individual drivers.
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