31.05.2025 11:40
The government has responded negatively to the request for a "driving license amnesty" that was brought up in the discussions of the Highway Traffic Law Proposal in the Parliament. Deputy Minister of Interior Münir Karaloğlu highlighted the amnesty granted in 2023, stating, "There were serious casualties in traffic accidents in 2023 and 2024, but a decline began in the second half of 2024," explaining the reason for the veto.
The government has responded negatively to the "driving license amnesty" that has come to the agenda within the scope of the Traffic Law Proposal discussed in the Parliament.
NEARLY 690 THOUSAND DRIVING LICENSES HAVE BEEN REVOKED IN RECENT YEARS
A legislative process is underway in the Parliament that imposes severe penalties for traffic violations. This proposal foresees high fines for old violations as well as newly acquired habits such as praising crimes on social media.
Deputy Minister of Interior Münir Karaloğlu announced that a total of 689,946 driving licenses have been revoked due to traffic violations in recent years. He stated that 31,000 licenses were returned with a driving license amnesty in 2023, but added, "However, after this amnesty, traffic deaths increased."
Responding to the requests of deputies in the Parliamentary Justice Commission, Karaloğlu said, "We do not want the driving license amnesty to become a habit. Let me express that we have negative thoughts about the driving license amnesty."
2023 DRIVING LICENSE AMNESTY HAS HARMED
Karaloğlu emphasized that the targets of the Traffic Strategy Document announced by the President in 2021 have been adversely affected due to the amnesty implemented in 2023. "There were serious casualties in traffic accidents in 2023 and 2024, but a decline began in the second half of 2024," he said.
REASONS FOR REVOKING DRIVING LICENSES
The reasons for the revocation of a total of 689,946 driving licenses were stated as follows:
- Driving under the influence of alcohol: 406,000
- Refusal of alcohol test: 42,000
- Driving under the influence of drugs: 20,000
- Temporary revocation for exceeding 100 penalty points: 21,000
- Drivers performing drift: 5,872
- Red light violation: 323
- Illegal use of flashing lights: 273
- Speeding violation: 123
SOCIAL MEDIA POLICE ON DUTY
The new legislative proposal plans to impose a fine of 25,000 lira on those who encourage, share, and praise prohibited behaviors in traffic on press, broadcast, internet, social media, and digital platforms. Karaloğlu stated, "If a person shares a drift video, there is a separate penalty for that. Our social media police monitor such shares and apply penalties."