Bengaluru:The government is considering introducing a points-based driving licence system, under which repeated traffic violations would attract penalty points and a driving licence could be suspended once a prescribed threshold is reached, officials said on Wednesday. The proposal was discussed at a joint review meeting of the Home and Transport departments chaired by state Home Minister Priyank Kharge and Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh here. The meeting focused on measures to improve road safety, curb traffic violations and ease congestion in Bengaluru, Kharge's office said in a release. Under the proposed system, points would be assigned for different traffic violations and accumulated against a driver’s record. Reaching a specified limit could result in suspension of the driving licence, it said. The meeting also examined the legal changes required to introduce the points-based system, it added. The departments discussed directly integrating the Transport Department’s Sarathi driving licence system with the Bengaluru Traffic Police’s e-Challan system. The integration would enable traffic police to verify a driving licence’s validity on the spot, access a driver’s previous violation history and link newly recorded offences directly to the driver’s digital record. The move is expected to reduce paperwork and make enforcement of traffic rules more effective, it said. The meeting also discussed increasing fines for traffic violations that affect traffic flow and public safety in Bengaluru. These include parking on footpaths, driving against traffic on one-way roads, driving on footpaths, unauthorised parking, parking in no-parking zones, violating traffic signals and obstructing the free flow of traffic. The proposal also includes higher penalties for repeat offences and dangerous driving, particularly involving two-wheelers. Officials discussed identifying motorists with five or more traffic violations, recovering pending fines and, where necessary, impounding or blacklisting vehicles.Restrictions against vehicles with repeatedly unpaid traffic fines and amendments to relevant laws and rules were also considered. The meeting discussed introducing mandatory road-safety trainingand awareness programmes for repeat offenders facing suspension or cancellation of their driving licences. The training would cover defensive driving, road-safety rules and responsible driving behaviour. Recording completion of the training in the digital system was also considered.