23 points, and you lose your driving licence

By Chandani Kirinde

Parliament will on Thursday debate the introduction of a Driver Improvement Points system under which drivers will risk having their licences suspended for up to a year for committing motor traffic offences.
The regulations under the Motor Traffic Act have been drafted by Transport Minister Kumar Welgama.

In terms of these regulations, a regular driving licence holder who accumulates between eighteen and 23 driver improvement points within 24 months will be served a warning by the Commissioner-General of Motor Traffic while those who exceed 23 points will have the licence suspended for a year.
In the case of those holding an Instructor’s Licence, two consecutive suspensions within four years, will make him or her liable to the cancellation of the Instructor’s Licence.

There is also provision for the remission of a period of suspension if the offender participates in a training programme. The offences that carry the highest number of ten points include failure to stop after an accident on a highway and to furnish relevant information, failure to report an accident to the nearest police station as well as driving a vehicle, the condition of which is likely to cause danger or harm to people, property or other vehicles.

Driving a motor vehicle on a highway recklessly or in a dangerous manner or at a dangerous speed will earn eight points as will driving a motor vehicle on a highway negligently. Some of the other point accumulations will be for exceeding the prescribed speed limits on a highway (6 points), driving so as to overtake other traffic without a clear view of the road ahead (6), failing to comply with oral directions or hand signals given by a police officer or a traffic warden (6), driving a motor vehicle which has emissions above the prescribed standards (6) using or permitting to use amplifying equipment in a vehicle with a volume above the prescribed standards (6), failure to wear a seat belt or failing to ensure the front seat passenger wear a seat belt (3) and failing to give way at a zebra crossing while a pedestrian is at the crossing (6).

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