Last update - 00:00 09/10/2006
MK proposes permanently revoking licenses of serial traffic offenders
By Zvi Zrahiya, Haaretz Correspondent
Serial traffic offenders could have their driving licenses permanently revoked, if the Knesset approves a proposal to be presented next week at the start of its winter session.
According to the proposal drafted by MK Gilad Erdan, a driver cited three times for road offenses including drunk driving, passing over a white line, or driving through a red light, could have his or her license revoked without trial.
Erdan drafted the proposal in response to a fatal road accident that occurred over the weekend in the north, in which three members of a single family were killed. The driver, who refused to take a blood alcohol test after the accident, had 63 prior traffic violations on his record.
"We can no longer tolerate this phenomenon - after an accident occurs with many casualties - of finding out that the offending driver has a past of abundant traffic violations," Erdan said on Wednesday.
"The Knesset needs to protect the public and not allow a court to take pity on traffic offenders by letting them return to the roads," he added.