Raising of driving licence suspension threshold ‘sets the wrong example’

Parliament’s decision to raise the threshold of driving licence penalty points required for a temporary driving ban from 12 to 16 “sets the wrong example” to society, Volt MP Alexandra Attalides said on Friday.

Attalides was the only MP to vote against the motion in parliament, and, speaking to the Cyprus Mail, she said the previous limit of 12 points was “more than enough warning for motorists to realise that something is not going right”.

“Penalty points are handed out for people who break laws which are in place to protect human lives. If someone is driving under the influence of drugs, or under the influence of alcohol, or if they are speeding, it means they are not only putting their own life in danger, but the lives of other people as well,” she began.

She added that under these circumstances, “when someone gets 12 penalty points in a year or within two years, what does that mean? It means they are systematically breaking the law.”

In such cases, she said, “it is not the role of the state mollycoddle these people, to tell them it is okay and that it doesn’t matter if they are breaking the law.

“Who is this law and by extension the state hoping to protect here? Other road users and pedestrians, or the licences of drivers who are behaving badly?” she asked, adding that the raising of the threshold constitutes a “populist approach”.

“For me, the law, even if it is unjust, must be applied and must be applied completely. This is not the right message to send from politicians to society. If we are serious about a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to crime, this must be shown through actions,” she said.

She then added that she may have seen some merit in temporarily raising the threshold from 12 points, given the recent increases in police traffic patrols and the placement of permanent cameras at high traffic areas to catch people committing infringements.

“If the person who had put down the bill had said it would be for a year or even two years because of these increases in police patrols and the new cameras, I would have said okay, but from January 1, 2026, the law must be applied to its fullest extent,” she said.

However, this is not what happened, and Attalides said the move to permanently raise the threshold had the air of a bill passed with short-term electoral ambitions in mind.

“They looked at the situation and said, ‘we are under pressure from voters’, and drafted and passed this law,” she said, while also warning about the potential wider societal impact and the message the new law may send.

“I don’t think politicians should accommodate lawbreaking in society. A lawless state has no future. I am going to lose a lot of votes, but I am not interested in that.”

It was Diko MP Chrysanthos Savvides who had submitted the bill to parliament, arguing that the increased enforcement of laws on the roads necessitated the threshold’s raising.

He said there has been a “rapid accumulation” of penalty points on drivers’ licences, and said the traffic cameras were a “particular source of frustration among drivers”.

As such, he said, the new law will “help drivers avoid legal consequences and maintain their licences, reducing the potential social impact of suspensions”.