Bangkok – Police are pushing for a driving license points system in effort to improve the standards of driving and promote road safety measures for all motorists.
The proposed amendment to the road traffic law was unveiled following a meeting of a national committee on the prevention of road accidents chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon.
Pol Maj Gen Ekkarak Limsangkat, commander of Special Branch Police 3, said the amendment draft has been examined by the Council for State and is to be forwarded to the cabinet for consideration.
Under the points system, motorists who commit traffic offenses will have points deducted and be suspended from driving for a certain period of time when their points are used up.
The suspension period will be made longer for motorists who continue to commit traffic offenses. They will eventually lose their driving license if their records fail to improve, Pol Maj Gen Ekkarak said.
Each motorist will have 12 points when the system is put into operation and updates the police on how many points a motorist may have lost at any given time.
One point is deducted for offenses such as not wearing seat belts or crash helmets. Two points are deducted for running the red light or driving in the wrong direction, while three points are deducted for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics or a hit-and-run. The points deducted will be reinstated after a period of 12 months.
Pol Maj Gen Ekkarak said traffic violators who fail to pay fines will see their points deducted further. For example, a speeding offense sees one point deducted. However, such offending motorists will have an extra point deducted if they fail to pay the fine.
