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17 July 2006
MADRID — The mortality rate on the roads has fallen by almost a third since the new points-based licence came into force, authorities said on Monday.
The Spanish Traffic Authority (STA) said 135 people had been killed in car crashes in the first 16 days of July – a 27 percent fall compared with the same period last year.
The new licence was introduced on 1 July.
Drivers who break the law lose points on sliding scale. They have a total of 12 to begin with but can extend this if they go for more than three years without any penalties.
Last weekend, 29 people were killed in 24 accidents and 19 were seriously hurt.
The STA said it appeared the new licence had made a difference to the way people drove.
It had been brought in to cut down the high rate of deaths on the roads, principally caused by speed and drink-driving.
In other European countries where this type of licence has been in use, like Britain and France, death rates have fallen by between 40 and 17 percent.
[Copyright EFE with Expatica]
Subject: Spanish news