The Land Transport Act has been revised to empower traffic police to seize and revoke a road vehicle driving license if unpaid traffic fines and fees accumulate to MVR 5,000 or higher.

In the past, a vehicle driving license could solely be annulled if the license lapsed or if the holder's credit points reached zero due to the demerit system.

According to the new legislation, a license could be seized if:

officials have reasonable grounds to suspect that the licensee has breached the Act or its associated regulations,

the licensee no longer fulfills the criteria outlined in the Act, or

unsettled charges and penalties specified in the Act amount to MVR 5,000 or greater.

Licenses may be revoked based on a decision by traffic officers or through a court ruling. After a license is seized, the ministry needs to assess if the licensee does not fulfill any criteria under the Act; if this is the case, the license will be annulled as per the law.

If a license is temporarily suspended, a 48-hour provisional driving permit will be provided instead. During public holidays when fines are not payable, the 48 hours will be calculated without including those holidays.

Police officers manage traffic in Male' City. (File Image/Sun)

Operating a land vehicle without a valid license, with an expired license, when a license has been revoked, or without a temporary permit is not allowed. The consequences are:

MVR 1,000 for the initial violation,

MVR 1,500 for the subsequent violation,

MVR 2,000 for the third violation,

for repeated violations, the fine will be twice the latest penalty amount.

Furthermore, vehicles operated without the necessary license can be seized for a period of up to 30 days, and the owner will incur a fine of MVR 2,000.