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Number of unlicensed drivers on the rise

Penalty point system for motorists only deters some offenses

By Curtis M. Wong
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
July 16th, 2008 issue

Despite the establishment of a strict point system designed to curb traffic violations, the number of people driving without a valid license has nearly doubled in the past year — a trend that’s left many transit experts baffled.
According to Transportation Ministry officials, the number of Czechs driving without a license rose from 1 percent to 1.8 percent of all drivers since summer 2007.
Authorities said they were surprised by the increase particularly because it followed the June 2006 introduction of the penalty point system for traffic violations. The system allows drivers to receive up to 12 penalty points for infractions including speeding, reckless driving and failure to use safety belts.
Under this system, driving without a valid license is classified as a criminal offense (as opposed to just a traffic violation), and unlicensed drivers could receive up to the maximum 12 penalty points. If convicted, the driver could face a prison sentence of up to one year, in addition to fines as well as having their license revoked for an unspecified amount of time.
According to ministry spokesman Karel Hanzelka, the point system, overall, has had a preventive effect on the most common traffic and road offenses. However, the system does not seem to have deterred people from driving without a license, a development Hanzelka called, “very surprising to us.”    
The numbers are in
While officials have called the criminal re-classification of the license offense “a very effective tool,” (in the past two years, those caught without a license accounted for one-fourth of 9,900 drivers to receive the 12-point penalty), the recent increase in the occurrence of the offense has been dramatic.
This year, police reported a total of 6,222 drivers caught without a valid license between January and April, which is 304 more cases than the same time last year. Most of these cases occurred in regions outside of Prague and involved young men between the ages of 16 and 24. In many of these cases, the violators had borrowed their parents’ cars without permission.  
Officials could only speculate as to the reasons for the increase, citing a reluctance to attend driving schools and a general disinterest in adhering to traffic laws among young drivers.
“Many drivers hope they will manage to avoid road checks and nobody will ever find out they actually do not have a driver’s license,” said police spokeswoman Pavla Srnková. “People also might be discouraged by increasing prices for driving schools. They don’t want to pay for it and it can take several weeks to complete the program.”
Hanzelka added his belief that “it just comes down to ignorance of the law and an inadequate respect for authority.”
Officials offered no plans to reduce the increase other than stepping up the number of road checks focused on traffic safety in areas where many of the unlicensed drivers were caught.
Measured success
Ministry officials are quick to emphasize that the point system has effectively hindered other traffic violations in the country, many of which had soared dramatically before the system’s 2006 introduction. Most notable was a substantial decrease in the number of deaths in road accidents reported by the Transportation Ministry in June. A total of 92 people died in 12,752 accidents registered during that month, compared with 113 in June 2007.
In addition, the threat of penalty points, as well as a possible prison sentence, carries more weight than a simple fine, Hanzelka added.
“Of course the most common violations remain the same,” Hanzelka said. “But, once people receive penalty points, they seem to be taking great precautions not to commit any more violations.” Indeed, an estimated 85 percent of drivers who receive one penalty point do not earn any additional points for traffic offenses. To date, some 565,000 registered Czech drivers have received at least one penalty point since the system’s introduction, officials say.
Speeding is by far the most common violation, accounting for nearly 50 percent of all cases. Women accounted for only 16 percent of punished drivers, with men between the ages of 20 and 25 being punished most frequently and with the highest number of penalty points.

Curtis M. Wong can be reached at news@praguepost.com


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