New era in traffic! Licenses of those who do this will be revoked

The regulation proposing amendments to the Highway Traffic Law, which consists of 34 articles and whose details were partially announced by Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya in recent months, has been submitted to the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM).

With the planned changes, it is intended to increase the deterrent effect of traffic fines, and in this context, administrative fines applied for numerous traffic violations will be increased. Furthermore, with the new articles to be introduced, drivers may face license revocation if they engage in faulty actions in traffic.

The proposal, consisting of 34 articles, is as follows:

ARTICLE 1:

Amendments are being made to allow traffic police officers serving in units responsible for highways to be assigned as general law enforcement officers if deemed appropriate by the Minister of Interior, limited to their area of responsibility, and to allow specialized sergeants and personnel of other statuses serving in the Gendarmerie General Command to be assigned to traffic units.

ARTICLE 2:

A mandatory requirement is being introduced to register vehicles that can be registered electronically within three business days from the date of sale. A requirement is also being introduced to register vehicles whose owners have passed away in the name of their heirs within 90 days.

ARTICLE 3:

The administrative fine to be applied in case vehicles withdrawn from traffic are found to be in use is being increased, and a regulation is being made regarding the payment of motor vehicle tax as of the date of withdrawal.

ARTICLE 4:

The administrative fine for those who alter their license plates in a way that causes them to be read differently or not read at all is being increased, and the provision for impounding these vehicles is being introduced. The administrative fine for drivers using a registered vehicle without a license plate is being increased, and provisions for the temporary suspension of these drivers' licenses and the impoundment of these vehicles are being introduced. The administrative fine for those who attach or use a license plate/temporary license plate belonging to another vehicle or a fake plate is being increased, and provisions for the revocation of these drivers' licenses and the impoundment of these vehicles are being introduced.

ARTICLE 5:

The administrative fine for vehicles taken into traffic without being registered is being increased, and provisions for the revocation of these drivers' licenses and the additional impoundment of these vehicles are being introduced.

ARTICLE 6:

A tachograph requirement is being introduced for tractor units, trucks, and buses used for commercial purposes within municipal boundaries. A speed limiter device requirement is being introduced for trucks, tractor units, minibuses, and buses. While the administrative fine for manipulating tachographs, taximeters, and speed limiter devices is being increased, a provision for the temporary suspension of the driver's license is also being introduced. The administrative fine for using someone else's driver card or using a broken or invalid driver card is being increased, along with a provision for the temporary suspension of the driver's license.

ARTICLE 7:

The administrative fine for unauthorized modifications made to vehicles is being increased. The administrative fine for drivers using Abarth exhausts is being increased. The sanction for vehicles required to have rear-end collision protection frames/side protection frames/rollover protection structures is being tightened if these pieces of equipment are missing.

ARTICLE 8:

While a rule is being introduced regarding the permits to be granted to vehicles whose entry into traffic is subject to special permission due to the transport of special loads, a regulation is being made to charge a service fee for each day support is provided if traffic police support is received in the transport of special loads, and for this amount to be recorded as revenue to the general budget.

ARTICLE 9:

The administrative fine for those who drive motor vehicles despite their driver's license having been temporarily or provisionally suspended by courts, public prosecutor's offices, or authorities specified in this Law, as well as those who drive motor vehicles despite their driver's license having been revoked, is being increased.

ARTICLE 10:

It is becoming mandatory for trucks, tractor units, and tankers to use specific lanes on multi-lane roads; administrative fines and vehicle impoundment sanctions are being introduced for those who act contrary to these rules.

Penalties for behaviors such as driving in the wrong direction, weaving through traffic, and changing lanes in a way that stops traffic are being increased; for these actions, the driver's license is being temporarily suspended and the vehicle is being impounded.

Furthermore, persistently following another vehicle in traffic or getting out of the vehicle and approaching with the intent to attack is being prohibited, with both administrative sanctions and, if conditions are met, proceedings under the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) being envisioned for these acts.

ARTICLE 11:

The administrative fine for those who flee by not complying with a stop signal despite the warnings and signs of law enforcement is being increased, and provisions for temporary driver's license suspension and vehicle impoundment are being introduced. For those who do not comply with the red light rule, a provision for a gradually increasing administrative fine along with the temporary suspension of the driver's license is being introduced.

ARTICLE 12:

The administrative fine for driving under the influence of alcohol two or more times within five years from the date of the last violation is being increased.

The administrative fine for driving under the influence of drugs and stimulants is being increased, and a provision for the revocation of the driver's license is being introduced.

The administrative fine for those who refuse to take a test by law enforcement is being increased, and the duration for which the driver's license is suspended is being extended.

A provision for the revocation of the driver's license is being introduced for drivers engaged in commercial transport if they drive under the influence of alcohol three times within five years or refuse to take a test.

ARTICLE 13:

Within the framework of the "European Agreement Concerning the Work of Crews of Vehicles Engaged in International Road Transport (AETR)," to which our country is a party and which entered into force with the Council of Ministers Decision dated 22/8/1999 and numbered 99/13276, the administrative fine to be applied according to the violation is being increased in order to harmonize the equivalent violations foreseen in the violations of working and rest periods of commercial vehicle drivers with our legislation. The administrative fine to be applied to vehicle operators who allow driving in this manner is also being increased.

ARTICLE 14:

An application of administrative fines that increase gradually according to the kilometer-based excess of speed violations is being introduced, and an application for the temporary suspension of the driver's license for determined kilometer-based excesses is also being introduced.

ARTICLE 15:

While the administrative fine for those who obstruct the passage of ambulances and fire trucks is being increased, provisions for the temporary suspension of these individuals' driver's licenses and the impoundment of the vehicles they use are being introduced.

The administrative fine for those who obstruct the passage of other vehicles with right-of-way is being increased.

ARTICLE 16:

The administrative fine for those who do not comply with the following distance is being increased.

ARTICLE 17:

The administrative fine for those who do not comply with the right-of-way rule at intersections is being increased.

ARTICLE 18:

The sanction for those who use vehicles whose driving on the highway is subject to special permission due to their weight and dimensions without obtaining permission or without meeting the conditions specified in the permit document is being tightened. The administrative fine for the driver or operator of vehicles that obstruct weight and dimension inspections to be carried out by authorities is being increased.

ARTICLE 19:

A regulation is being made to leave the issue of introducing a winter tire application for all vehicle types to the decision of the Governorates. For snowy and icy days, an administrative fine is being determined for vehicles traveling on the highway that do not have or use snow chains or anti-skid equipment, and for vehicles that remain on the highway and obstruct traffic flow due to the non-use of this equipment.

ARTICLE 20:

The administrative fine for using mopeds and motorcycles for acrobatic maneuvers is being increased, a temporary driver's license suspension is being introduced, and a provision for the impoundment of these vehicles is being introduced.

ARTICLE 21:

The administrative fine for those who perform drift maneuvers is being increased.

ARTICLE 22:

The administrative fine for those who organize running and cycling races without permission is being determined, and for those who race on the highway, a provision for an administrative fine along with temporary driver's license suspension and vehicle impoundment is being introduced.

ARTICLE 23:

The penalty to be applied in case of unnecessary use of the right-of-way is being increased.

ARTICLE 24:

While the administrative fine for those who listen to music at high volume in the vehicle in a way that disturbs the comfort and peace of the public is being increased, the administrative fine for those who possess and use sound, music, image, and communication devices that do not comply with the conditions specified in the Law and Regulation, as well as image devices that remain within the driver's viewing and usage area, is being increased, and a provision for the impoundment of these vehicles is being introduced.

ARTICLE 25:

A regulation is being made to increase the fine amount applied for mobile phone use while driving, to increase the fine amounts if this rule is violated for the second and third time within one year, to have the driver's licenses of drivers who have been processed for violating this rule 3 or more times within a retroactive one-year period suspended for 30 days each time, and to introduce additional obligations for the delivery of the suspended driver's licenses.

ARTICLE 26:

In order to increase the use of seat belts and protective headgear (helmets), fine amounts are being increased, and if these provisions are violated for the second and third time within one year, the fine amounts are being increased and applied; for drivers who have been processed for seat belt violations 3 times within a retroactive one-year period, their driver's licenses are being suspended, and additional obligations are being introduced for the delivery of the suspended driver's licenses. Furthermore, an obligation is being imposed on drivers regarding the use of necessary protective equipment for children under the age of 15, and a criminal regulation is being made in this context.

ARTICLE 27:

A regulation is being made to tighten the sanction in order to prevent leaving the scene of traffic accidents with material damage and to prevent the destruction of accident evidence, to foresee a prison sentence for the act of leaving the scene of fatal or injury-causing accidents without permission, and also to grant this authority to traffic police so that the driver's license suspension process can be carried out more quickly and effectively.

ARTICLE 28:

A regulation is being made to include mopeds within the scope of compulsory financial liability insurance.

ARTICLE 29:

A regulation is being made regarding writing the registration number of the personnel instead of their name and surname on traffic administrative fine decision reports.

ARTICLE 30:

A regulation is being made to collect unpaid fines when these individuals re-enter the country, in order to resolve the difficulties experienced in the collection of traffic administrative fines applied to foreign individuals while they are using Turkish-plated rental vehicles in our country due to the inability to notify them of the fines in question.

ARTICLE 31:

With the regulation made, a regulation is being made so that fines related to traffic rule violations in rental vehicles are issued to the renter who assumes responsibility during the rental period of the vehicle, instead of the vehicle owner.

ARTICLE 32:

In order to ensure the safety of passengers by eliminating the risks created by vehicles and drivers who do not fulfill the necessary obligations in urban passenger transport, to prevent possible grievances, and also to ensure that urban commercial passenger transport is carried out in an orderly manner, the administrative fine to be applied for transport carried out without obtaining a work permit/license is being increased, and the duration of the driver's license suspension and the vehicle impoundment sanction applied to these vehicles is being extended.

ARTICLE 33:

A regulation is being made in the direction of applying an administrative fine to those who share traffic rule violations on social media or the internet for the purpose of praising or encouraging them.

ARTICLE 34:

A regulation is being made to ensure a gradual transition with the dates specified in accordance with the legislation for vehicles that do not have a mandatory requirement to possess and use a tachograph but for which a requirement is introduced with the amendment made in Article 31, and to ensure that the regulations made are not taken into account in recidivism calculations.