Penalty point system in Spain

Prof. PhD. Jaime Sanmartín

 The Spanish penalty point system
 Will start from the 1st of July 2006.
 Approved by the Parliament on the 29th of
June 2005.

 Very similar to the French one:

 The driver has an amount that he is going to
lose with offences.

 Fundamental key to reduce the fatality rate

 European target to reducing by 50% the
number of road fatalities by the year 2010.
[2]
 [The situation in Spain]:: 2004
43,197,684 inhabitants 94,009 accidents 4,741 killed
23,019,420 licences 113 killed per million inhabitants
26,432,641 vehicles (EU average = 95)

[3]
 [Evolution]:: 1979-2004
24h30d 45.000.000
8000

7500 40.000.000
Inhabitants
7000 35.000.000

6500 30.000.000
Vehicles
6000 25.000.000

5500 Killed 24h 20.000.000

Killed 30 days
5000 15.000.000

4500 10.000.000

4000 5.000.000
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
[4]
 The pps intents…
 To be complementary
with the regular sanction
scheme:
 points + fine
 To make aware, to re-
educate
 To stimulate the driver’s
self-responsibility
 To change his mentality
regarding the offences
[5]
 Messages from the Ministry & DGT*

 Consider the driving licence not as a vested

right…
 …but as a vote of confidence offered by
society
 …that could be lost after irresponsible driving.
 Then:
 “Only good drivers will have their place”
 “We will drive better and safer”

[6] * General Directorate of Road Traffic

 Pps overview
 Starting with 12 points (8 for novice)
 Subtraction according offences (2 to 6)
 Gaining without offences (max 15)
 3 years  +2
 3 years more  +1
 Recovering points:
 2/3 years without losing  again 12 points
 12 hour re-education course  up to +4
[7]
 Ways of gaining points
LICENCE:
> 3 years 3 years 3 years more
w/o loss? +2 w/o loss?

Novel or
+1
recidivist? 2 years
12 w/o loss? 15
N max
Very serious
Lost any offence?
points?
3 years
Want w/o loss? 12
Y
8 course?
Any
Lost all
course 2/1 years
the points?
before? +4
LICENCE: 12h course max
LICENCE passed?
≤ 3 years or
LOST ½ time for
After loss
[8] professionals
 Recover suspended licence
 May be recovered only after 6/3* months
 Compulsory 24 hour course of awareness and
re-education
 Theoretical test and a psychophysical exam
 Re-starting with 8 points
 If all the points are lost again in less than 3
years:
 12/6* months suspension

* Professional drivers
[9]
 Getting the licence again
Wait 6/3
LICENCE months
LOST N

Again before 24
½ time for hours
3 years? professionals
course
Y
Wait 12/6
months
Course
passed?

NEW Theoretical
LICENCE test passed?

Psychophysical
exam passed?

8
[10]
 [Losing points]::
 Specific serious offences:
2, 3, 4 or 6 points

 Maximum: 8 point per day

(except very serious
offences)

[11]
 [Losing points]:: -6 points
Alcohol >0.50 mg/l (>0.30 professionals & novels)

Drugs & other substances…

Refuse analysis of alcohol, drugs…

Speeding >50% of the limit, & at least >30 Km/h

(>180 motorways, >135 roads & >80 urban)

Dangerous driving, wrong way, races…

Excess of 50% driving or rest time for carriers

[12]
 [Losing points]:: -4 points
Driving on a motorway Driving with more than 50%
with prohibited vehicle of authorized occupants
Not obeying traffic Driving with not
officers signals appropriated licence
Speeding >40 Km/h over the
Reversing in motorways
limit (& <50% of the limit)
Dangerous overtaking Overtaking cyclist
with limited visibility dangerously
Alcohol >0.25-0,50 mg/l
Careless driving
(>0.15-0.30 profs. & novels)
Throwing on the road Not obeying: stop sign, right
dangerous objects way, zebra crossing, traffic
Failing to comply with lights,…
the overtaking rules
[13]
 [Losing points]::

-3 points -2 points
Speeding >30-40 Km/h Speeding >20-30 Km/h
over the limit over the limit

Changing direction Dangerous stops or park-

illegally ing (incl. reserved lanes)

Failing to comply with the Driving with systems to

safe distance avoid vigilance

Driving using mobile

Driving without lights
phone (excl. hand-free)

Driving without seat belt, Circulating with <12 y.

helmet,… person in a motorbike
[14]
 [Courses]:: Main lines
 High level of standardization, one of the
peculiar aspect of the system
 Courses given by a driving instructor and a
psychologist, previously trained by INTRAS
(80/12 hours course respectively)
 Courses content mainly concentrated on
road safety
 Contents specifically designed by INTRAS,
including manuals and interactive multimedia
DVD-ROM’s
[15]
 Reference manuals with versions for the
trainer and the trainee

[16]
 Interactive learning & auto-evaluation
with multimedia DVD-ROM’s

[17]
 [Courses]:: Objectives
 Unify as well the content and the methodology
of the courses in order to:
 Sensitize on the serious human, economic and
social consequences derived from road
accidents
 Make the drivers aware of their own implication
in dangerous driving
 Re-educate the behaviours and the attitudes
from reflection and from a perspective of
improving coexistence and respect
[18]
 [Courses]:: Two types

 Partial  Total
recovery recovery
 Optional  Compulsory
for gaining for getting the
points licence again
 12 hours  24 hours
 Up to +4  All the points
points more (up to 8)
 Cost: 170€  Cost: 320€

[19]
 [Courses]:: Two parts
 General training
 DVD-ROM assisted + trainer explanations
 Reflection and discussion (partial recovery)
 Group dynamics (total recovery)
 Complementary manual for the trainer

 Specific training
 Individualized (previous test & assessment)
 DVD-ROM interactive + trainer support
 Complementary manual for the trainee
[20]
 [Courses]:: Content topics
 Traffic accidents: the magnitude of the problem
 Dynamic of a collision and its consequences
 The driving as a taking decisions process
 Basic capabilities for a safe driving
 Special risk groups: children, youth, elderly,
pedestrians, cyclists …
 Risk factors: speed, alcohol, drugs, sleep, fatigue...
 Active & passive safety
 Preventive driving in front of adverse conditions
 Behaviour after an accident
 The importance of following the rules
[21]
 [Courses]:: Distribution
 CNAE: National Confedera-  199 centres
tion of Driving Schools (after  07/06 30%
a public tender; for 5 years)  10/06 50%
 01/07 100%
 Almost one every
provincial capital
 90% nearest
than 30 Km
 Exceptions:

Basque
Catalonia
Country
[22]
 [Diffusion]::

 January  Web http://www.permisoporpuntos.es

 February  courses for trainers
 March  educational campaign: conferences
 April  “call centre” & international conference
 May  mailing to drivers
 June  intensive TV, radio & newspaper campaign

[23]
 [Acceptance]:: DGT survey (Dec-2005)
Agreement: N/R, indifferent Nothing/Less Quite/More
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

7,50%
General agreement 18,30%
74,20%
6,60%
Reduce accidents 26,30%
67,10%
6,20%
Increase good driving habits 24,30%
69,50%
1,10%
Licence lost due to serious offences 10,60%
88,30%
2,30%
Course to get again the licence 18,10%
79,60%
1,40%
Personally worried? 67,90%
30,70%
[24]
 [Acceptance]:: Sectorial opinions
 Automobile Clubs
 Agree the governmental initiative
 It could reduce road deaths by 3% to 10% (up
to 500 deaths less per year).

 Transport professionals:
 Work & salary problems because more exposed
 Claims for specific rules for professionals

[25]
 Some forecasts
 The attendance to the courses could be:
 About 60,000 drivers/year
 10% (6,000) because having lost the licence

 The system could reduce the number of:

 Road fatalities by 10 to 15%
 Accidents up to 40% in 5 years

[26]
 The [real] challenges
 The logistic challenge:
 Coordination between the national, autonomic
and local police in their tasks of supervising
 Central follow-up of the points
 The social challenge:
 To acquire a consensus of cultural change
 To improve realistic knowledge and positive
values associated to road safety
 To get a real change in the driving behaviour

[27]
 Questions [& things that
should be done]
 Do we have the right relationship between the
points and the severity of the offences?
 Would it be positive to include specifically the
at-fault accidents as an element of the penalty
system?
 What type of recidivist offenders will we come
across?
 Will some of them need re-education or maybe a
particular treatment? (e.g. alcohol, drugs,
delinquency, psychopathologies…)
[28]
 More questions [& more things that
should be done]
 Will we have to increase police control to
guarantee the credibility & effectiveness of the
system?
 Could the delays of the bureaucracy mitigate the
positive reinforcement effects of the system?
 Will we be able to differentiate the effects of the
penalty points from the ones of the re-education
courses?
 Should we have EU harmonized principles for the
penalty point systems?
[29]
 Finally… [?]
 This is one more measure that must fit with
others, but its importance and scope may (or
should) generate a “before” and an “after” in
the Spanish road safety

¡¡[Thank you]!!
[30]