According to the proposal of the Ministry of Public Security, demerit points will be assigned to driver’s licenses, and if all points are lost within a year, the person will have to retake the driving test. Each person is expected to have 12 points per year.
Information on the Ministry of Transport’s website states that, according to a study by the World Health Organization (WHO), the use of a demerit points system does not directly reduce traffic accidents, but accompanying measures such as sending warning letters and mandatory training courses have helped reduce about 10% of traffic accidents.
Currently, many countries around the world also have provisions for deducting driver’s license points for traffic violations, such as the United States, Europe, Singapore, Japan, and China.
United States
The United States applies a point-based system for driver’s licenses, but each state has different regulations on point deductions. Depending on the regulations, points may be deducted, driver’s licenses may be suspended for a period of time, or licenses may be permanently revoked. However, point deductions are not the only aspect.
In California, when a driver is convicted of a traffic violation, the court may give the driver the opportunity to attend a traffic violation school. If the court allows it, the driver can attend the class online. Drivers participating in the class may have their violations removed from their driving records.
In Massachusetts, the driver’s license point system is closely linked to insurance. People who do not violate traffic laws will have lower insurance premiums than those who do. This means that the more violations, the higher the insurance premiums.
In Arizona, the government also stipulates different point scales for different traffic violations. The lightest is 2 points and the heaviest is 8 points. Drivers with 8 accumulated traffic violation points will have their licenses suspended for a year and must undergo an 8-hour traffic training course.
Europe
In Italy, each driver is given 20 points. Two consecutive years without violations will earn the driver an additional 2 points. The maximum number of points each person can accumulate is 30.
On the contrary, the authorities here also have different point deduction scales. If 20 points are deducted within a year, the driver’s license will be suspended for 2 years.
If 20 points are deducted within less than 2 years, the license suspension period is one year. If 20 points are deducted within more than 2 years, the driver’s license will be suspended for 6 months.
In addition, for serious offenses such as drunk driving, exceeding the speed limit by 40 km/h… drivers will be immediately confiscated.
Some other European countries do not deduct points but instead use a violation points accumulation method to control drivers.
Drivers in Germany will have their licenses revoked if they accumulate 8 traffic violation points. However, drivers must pass a psychological and physical examination to be reissued a license.
If the driver does not accumulate 8 points, the accumulated violation points will be erased within 2.5 to 10 years, depending on the severity of the behavior.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom uses a 12-point system to calculate points. Drivers will be banned from driving if they fall into 1 of the 2 following cases: being convicted of a serious traffic violation or receiving 12 penalty points within 3 years.
After that, the driver will receive a summons and the court will decide how long the driver is banned from driving. If the ban is for 56 days or more, the driver must retake the driving test.
China
China’s current method of penalizing driver’s licenses with demerit points is similar to the approach Vietnam will implement in the future. China uses a 12-point system and it is refreshed every January 1st. If a person loses 12 points within a year, their license will be suspended.
When the deducted points reach 0, violators will have their licenses confiscated. Drivers will have to undergo a short 2-week traffic law training course at the center, pay fines, and take the test. Only after passing this test will they regain their licenses. In case of intentionally not attending the training, the license will be immediately canceled.
Those who are penalized with a total of 24 points will have to retake the practical part of the test. In addition, new drivers (under 1 year) who have lost more than 12 points will also have their licenses suspended for one year.
Like in the US, drunk driving offenses in China are also heavily penalized, with 12 points deducted for a single offense. In addition, the offenses that can result in immediate license revocation in China include: Driving without the appropriate license type; Operating a passenger vehicle exceeding the maximum passenger limit by 20%; Causing an accident and fleeing the scene; Driving without a license plate, using fake license plates, or tampering with them; Reversing, driving in the opposite direction on a highway, or crossing the median; Stopping a passenger vehicle on the highway;…
It can be seen that the Chinese government is particularly strict with highly dangerous vehicles such as buses, trucks, and vehicles carrying hazardous goods.
