What Result Has the Change in the Point System Yielded

The change in the point system in Armenia has led to a 44% increase in violations committed by drivers. This was stated in an interview with Sputnik Armenia by traffic expert and activist Artak Gaboyan.

“The transition from a 9-point to a 13-point system is a positive change only for bad drivers. It encourages drivers to commit more violations. Previously, a person could stand in the second lane 35 times over a year without any issues; now they can do so 51 times. This means a person can go out once a week, stop in the middle of the street, make traffic hell, pay 5000 drams for it, and continue driving,” said Gaboyan.

The authors of the legislative initiative, National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan, Vice Speaker Ruben Rubinyan, and Civil Contract faction MP Armen Khachatryan, justified the need to increase points based on situational violations that have no direct relation to traffic safety. For example, when taxi drivers or couriers are forced to park their vehicles in the second lane, they are fined 5000 drams and lose points.

Gaboyan describes this justification from the authors of the law as “demagoguery,” stating that it has nothing to do with accommodating taxi drivers. “No taxi driver will benefit from this and stand more often in the second lane, because every time they stop in the second lane, they are fined 5000 drams, which is a more significant factor for them than losing 0.25 points. If their goal was indeed to accommodate taxi drivers, they should have fully organized taxi licensing and allowed licensed vehicles to stand in the second lane for a conditional 3 minutes instead of 1 minute,” he added.