Germany is closing a legal loophole that has allowed drivers to trade points they’ve been given on their licence for speeding. We break it down, along with other driving changes you’ll want to be aware of.
If you are caught committing a traffic violation like speeding in Germany, you’ll receive penalty points.
Known as Punkte in Flensburg (points in Flensburg), these are penalty points on your driving licence that are recorded in a database and can lead to further consequences.
But did you know that motorists in Germany can effectively pay off points they’ve received for speeding?
Brokerage agencies have organised so-called ‘point offenders’ to take over the points in exchange for a fee.
But from July 1st 2026, this practice will be illegal.
Anyone who lies to the authorities about traffic offences, or offers these services commercially, would then face severe penalties.
READ ALSO: Driving in Germany – What are the offences that can cost you points on your licence?
The lucrative business of points
The business model was simple: drivers with a full points tally were hired through an agency. That person would take the blame for a client’s traffic offence, and claim to have been the driver themselves.
The authorities were usually satisfied to receive a name – even if it wasn’t the correct one. The real offender paid the fine and a fee to the intermediary, thereby avoiding further points on their driving licence.
Germany’s Criminal Code had not previously covered this trick. As speeding is classified as an administrative offence rather than a criminal offence, charges such as obstruction of justice or forgery of documents have not been applicable.
Anyone who pretends to be the driver, even though they had were not driving, had operated in a legal grey area.
But the amendment to the Road Traffic Act will close this loophole as of July. The change prohibits providing false information to the authorities as well as commercial intermediary services.
Anyone caught flouting these rules will then face fines of up to €30,000.
What are other changes are coming?
The new legislative package passed by German parliament brings further far-reaching changes for motorists.
One of the biggest amendments concerns the limitation period for traffic offences: it is being doubled from three to six months from July 1st.
That means anyone caught speeding or parking illegally may now get a ticket in the post up to six months later.
Furthermore, the reform establishes a federal legal basis for so-called ‘Scancars’.
These specialised vehicles automatically record number plates as they pass by to track down illegal and incorrectly parked vehicles. This gives local authorities greater scope to digitally monitor stationary traffic.
READ ALSO:
Driving licences are going digital
As a second major step, the law paves the way for the digital driving licence. The document is set to be available via a smartphone app before the end of this year.
But don’t worry: the traditional plastic cards remain valid.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: thelocal.de
