Two decades of driving licence for points drive a historic change in Spanish road safety

On July 1, it was 20 years since the entry into force of the point permit in Spain, one of the most relevant measures promoted in terms of road safety in recent decades. Its implementation marked a paradigm shift in road safety policy and the concept of driving responsibility, helping to consolidate a new driving culture based on prevention, compliance with standards and the co-responsibility of road users.

Two decades later, the permit by points has proven to be much more than a sanctioning system, it has been consolidated as an instrument of governance aimed at modifying in a sustained way the behaviors of drivers. Its effectiveness is based on the combination of corrective measures, training actions and administrative procedures that have progressively favored the change of driving habits and have decisively contributed to reducing road accidents.

In these 20 years, Spain has been among the European countries of reference in terms of road accident. This progress is reflected in the evolution of the mortality rate, which went from 128 deaths per million inhabitants in 2003 – 25% above the European average – to 37 in 2024, 18% below that measure.

The improvement is also visible in other key indicators: increased use of the safety belt, which increased from 72 percent before 2006 to 98 percent in 2024, and increased use of the helmet, which increased from 96 percent to 98 percent. Likewise, the positives in blood alcohol controls dropped from 2.6 to 1 percent and the percentage of vehicles detected by radar travelling more than 20 km/h above the permitted limit was reduced from 5.45 to 0.06 percent.

Sanctions, Points Withdrawn and Loss of Validity

In the twenty years of validity of the Permit by Points more than half a million point-cut sanctions have been processed in AsturiasS, which highlights its role as a tool to correct risky behaviors and promote safer driving. Although the number of points withdrawn has increased in recent years, this increase is due to regulatory changes that have hardened certain infringements rather than to a general deterioration in the behaviour of drivers.

Among the changes introduced is the increase in the loss of points for the most serious infractions related to alcohol and drug consumption (which went from 4 to 6 points), as well as with the use of the mobile phone in the hand (which went from 3 to 6 points), and not using the safety belt, helmet and other protection elements (which went from 3 to 4 points retracted).

In Asturias in 2024, nearly 74 percent of drivers retain 15 points in full and more than 90 percent maintain 12 points or more.

However, it should be noted that a small group of repeat offenders persists. In these two decades, almost 8,000 drivers lost their licence for exhausting their points balance, with a maximum recorded in 2010 when 1,103 losses were recorded, placing the annual average at around 500.

The accumulated experience also shows that the loss of points fulfills a re-educating task. Nearly 90 percent of drivers who have lost the validity of their permit have done so only once, while about 9 percent have relapsed twice. The most persistent cases with three or more permit losses are minor, with just 1.3 percent of the validity losses that have been recorded since the system was implemented.

Reeducation, the tool of behavioral change

Road awareness and re-education courses have been consolidated as one of the pillars of the point permit, combining the recovery of points and permits with awareness work aimed at modifying risky behaviors and promoting safer mobility. Since the implementation of the system, more than 3,500 courses have been taught, for which more than 38,000 drivers have passed.

The network of authorized centers has experienced growth, going from 6 in 2006 to 10 in 2018 and reaching 25 in 2024. This increase has been driven by the liberalization of the model of course provision, which allowed ca268 training actions to be taught in 2024, the highest figure recorded to date and reaching 2,237 drivers.

In addition, since February 2025, drivers with a positive balance can earn two additional points by volunteering safe and efficient driving courses, designed to improve the driving skills of both motorcycle and passenger car users.

A model of success thanks to a committed society

The success of the point permit has been possible thanks to the joint commitment of the public administrations, with an increasing participation of the municipalities in the management of the infractions that entail loss of points.

This effort has been accompanied by the decisive contribution of the victims of trafficking and their associations, as well as civil society, the media and an increasingly aware citizenry. The involvement of all of them has helped to consolidate road safety as a shared value, reflected in the broad social acceptance of the system and in the progressive improvement of driving behaviors.

After two decades of operation, the point permit faces a new stage, whose lines of action are aimed at strengthening measures aimed at repeat offenders, especially in high-risk behaviours such as the use of mobile phones at the wheel or driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

It will also move forward in a context of greater European integration, promoting closer cooperation between Member States to facilitate the exchange of information, the identification of offenders and the cross-border enforcement of sanctions.

Commemorative event

Yesterday, Wednesday, a commemorative event was held that brought together the main protagonists who made it possible to implement the permit by points in Spain. The meeting was attended by representatives of public administrations, victims’ associations, universities, media, experts in road safety and other groups that played a decisive role in the development and consolidation of this model.