SIAM Annual Convention: Gadkari proposes graded points system for driving licences to boost road safety

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has said the government is working on a graded points-based system for driving licences and vehicle registration certificates, under which traffic violations could lead to point deductions and repeat offenders could face suspension or cancellation of their licences.

Speaking at the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers’ (SIAM) 66th Annual Convention in Delhi today, Gadkari flagged road safety as a major concern for India and stressed the need to improve driver behaviour, pedestrian safety and post-crash care.

“My ministry is planning to introduce graded point system in driving licences and vehicle registration certificate,” Gadkari said.

Under the proposed framework, motorists would accumulate penalty points for traffic offences. Once the points cross a prescribed threshold, authorities could take action against the offender, including suspension or cancellation of the driving licence.

“Every offense will cut points on the driving licence. And after a particular limit, the licence will get suspended or even cancelled,” the minister said.

The proposed system is also expected to differentiate between responsible motorists and habitual offenders. Drivers maintaining a good record could potentially receive incentives, including benefits from insurance companies, while repeated violations would attract stricter penalties.

“This is exactly the people who have good points, they will get incentives from insurance or companies or whatever benefits will be there. But those who are habitually making mistakes, the penalty is there. That is the principle behind this policy,” Gadkari said.

The union minister said changing driving behaviour would be central to improving India’s road safety record, particularly given the country's high number of road accidents.

“Driver behaviour is a big problem. We are now doing a lot of things for that,” he said.

He also emphasised the need to make motorists accountable for repeated violations rather than allowing dangerous driving practices to continue without consequences.

“We are actually the person who is making constant mistakes and we are learning it. That will not be appropriate. Somewhere, we have to challenge the people where this misdeed is responsible for the consequences,” he said.

The minister said the points-based mechanism would seek to encourage safer driving by rewarding good conduct while penalising persistent violations. The proposed framework could therefore shift the focus from one-off enforcement to tracking a driver's record over time.