- The renowned Institute for Research in Traffic and Road Safety (INTRAS) of the University of Valencia, Spain, warns that point-based driving license systems must consider the punitive, preventive, and re-educational dimensions to be successful.
- In Spain, after the first 3 months of implementation of the points-based licensing system, the fatality rate was reduced by 16.6%. In Japan, after 5 years, the reduction of fatal incidents reached almost 30%.
Mexico City, November 08, 2023.- In the framework of the first anniversary of the Aleatica Foundation for Road Safety, the Spanish researcher Prof. Dr. Francisco Alonso, director of the Institute for Research in Traffic and Road Safety (INTRAS) of the University of Valencia, warned that the so-called “points-based licensing” is an effective measure to increase road safety in the world.
Since the first year of implementation of this system, in 2006, Spain registered a 14.3% reduction in the number of fatalities compared to the previous year, according to INTRAS research. Likewise, Spanish evidence indicates that in the first 3 months of the system’s implementation alone, the death rate was reduced by 16.6%.
Another international comparative study, published in 2011, reveals that after one year of using the points-based license, France reduced its rate of traffic fatalities by 11.6%; the United Kingdom, 8.2%, and Italy, 7.3%. Meanwhile, in Japan, the reduction was 29.7%, after five years of using this measure.
INTRAS emphasizes that the points system also has a particularly relevant impact on those drivers who have been previously sanctioned, as offenders become more respectful of the rule after having received penalty points.
The panel presentation Implementation of the points-based license: challenges, perspectives and experiences around the world was attended by the members of the Fundación Aleatica’s advisory board for Road Safety: Roy Rojas, international road safety consultant; Arturo Cervantes, president of the Alianza Nacional por la Seguridad Vial (Mexico); María Jose Pessano, executive director of the Gonzalo Rodríguez Foundation in Uruguay, as well as Alejandra Leal, national coordinator of the Coalición Movilidad Seguridad Vial in Mexico and co-director of Céntrico.
“The social perception about the points-based driving license system is more positive than other preventive measures, due to the fact that users understand that it is a guideline that equalizes all drivers, having the same punitive value for all of them, regardless of their socioeconomic characteristics,” explained Dr. Francisco Alonso.
In Latin America, the points-based license is a model that is already in force in Peru, Costa Rica and will soon be implemented in the Dominican Republic, where the regulation has already been approved; while in countries such as Uruguay, projects to install it are being analyzed. This system is not yet used in Mexico, although Prof. Francisco Alonso urged the authorities to develop it, for which the Aleatica Foundation for Road Safety has offered all its technical support with the aid of INTRAS.
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Influencia del permiso de conducción por puntos en el comportamiento al volante: percepción de los conductores. Universidad de Valencia.
Marcela Lobo B. “Licencias de Conducir con Puntaje: Sistema de Sanciones a Implantar en Chile”. Ministerio de Transportes y Telecomunicaciones (2011)
Acerca de la Fundación Aleatica para la Seguridad Vial A.C.
Fundación Aleatica para la Seguridad Vial A.C. is a non-profit organization that through the Safe System Approach designs and executes initiatives to promote the right to road safety as a reality for all people.
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