The “carta por pontos” system, which on 1 June will have been in effect for five years, consists of subtracting points for serious offences, very serious and road crimes are committed, leading to the withdrawal of the driving licence when all 12 points are lost.

In a statement reviewing the five years of this system, ANSR states that since it came into force, 1,494 driving licences have been withdrawn, 450 of which between 1 June 2020 and 31 May 2021, representing an increase of 43 percent compared to the number recorded between 1 June 2016 and 31 May 2020.

The Road Safety authority, also states that 2,386 drivers have zero points on their driving licences, with the cases being “instructed or under instruction”.

After all points have been removed, the driver will only lose their driving licence after an autonomous administrative process has been instituted and notification of the withdrawal has been served, provided it is not contested in court.
ANSR points out that in the last five years of the previous regime, which lasted until 31 May 2016, “only two driving licences were revoked”.

The Road Safety authority also indicates that in the first five years of this system, points were subtracted from more than 267,000 drivers, 78,804 of which between 1 June 2020 and 31 May 2021, representing an increase of 41 percent compared to the previous four years.

According to ANSR, the offences that most contributed to the loss of points are the use of mobile phones, speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol, failure to stop at a red light, disobedience to the no-go and STOP signs and passing over a solid line.

The districts with a monthly average of over one thousand offences recorded are Aveiro, Braga, Coimbra, Leiria, Lisbon, Porto, Santarém and Setúbal.

The “carta por pontos” system also sees drivers who have only five or four points attend a training course within a maximum period of 180 days from the date they receive the notification, and a total of 2,719 drivers have undergone this in the last five years.

According to ANSR, if drivers fail to attend these training sessions, their licences can be withdrawn, and in the last five years, 16 drivers have lost their licences for this reason.

ANSR’s data indicates that 378 drivers have attended the training course and 1,915 are still being notified.

According to Road Safety authority, 986 drivers were left with three or fewer points, so they are obliged to take a theory test of the driving rules within 90 days of receiving the notification.

Of these 986 drivers, 195 took the theoretical test, 47 failed and will lose their driving licence, seven of whom have already had their licence revoked, 279 have not yet taken the test and 465 are in the process of being notified.

A study carried out by ANSR in 2020, reveals that 77 percent of drivers consider the system as useful and the usefulness of the system comes “essentially from the capacity that is recognised as being able to make drivers aware of the importance of carrying out better driving practices”.

In the Carta por Pontos (Points Based Driving Licence) system, 12 points are attributed to the driver, which increase or decrease according to the infractions committed.

After the revocation of the title, these drivers will be banned from driving for two years and will have to get their licence again.