According to the Department of Land Transport (DLT), Thailand’s points-deduction system for driving licences should finally be launched in April this year.
Drivers will start with 100 points on their licences and deductions will vary from 5 points to 35 points depending on the seriousness of the traffic offence.
Licences will be suspended when points fall to 50 or below.
Drivers must then undergo 2-5 hours of training per offence to restore their points and revalidate their licences.
However, the new system has sparked concerns that driver-training facilities will be overwhelmed by demand from drivers who have had their licence suspended.
A 12-point demerit system was hailed as a potential cure for Thailand’s road carnage ahead of its original launch date in December 2019 but has been shelved for more than a year.
The new 100-point system is scheduled for launch on 1st April 2021.
However, transport operators have asked the DLT to postpone the measure for another year, so they can prepare and also recover from the impact of COVID-19 on goods traffic and passenger numbers.
DLT director-general Chirute Visalachitra said a meeting had been held to clarify the new driving points system for bus and truck operators.
The DLT expects to run driver-training courses from 1st April.
