Interior Minister Yerlikaya rejects speculation on driver’s license amnesty
Turkish traffic police officers inspecting the vehicles with emergency lights in Tekirdag, Türkiye, April 6, 2025. (AA Photo)
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya made a firm statement on Sunday regarding the speculation surrounding a possible “driver’s license amnesty.”
The minister declared in no uncertain terms, “Driver’s license amnesty is absolutely not on our agenda.”
As of April 19, 2025, a total of 689,946 drivers in Türkiye have had their licenses temporarily revoked and not yet returned, according to Yerlikaya’s official figures.
Why were these licenses suspended?
Minister Yerlikaya outlined the reasons behind the suspensions:
- Some 499,088 drivers lost their licenses due to:
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs,
- Refusing to take alcohol tests.
- Some 28,461 drivers had their licenses suspended for:
- Accumulating 100 penalty points within a year
- Speeding violations (5 times in a year),
- Running red lights (3 times),
- Drifting,
- Using illegal strobe (cakar) lights.
- Some 162,397 licenses were suspended due to:
- Legal issues, such as being involved in fatal or injurious accidents,
- Health-related reasons.
‘Our goal is prevention, not punishment’
Yerlikaya emphasized that the government’s primary concern is not to punish drivers, but to prevent deadly accidents and protect lives.
Every rule we enforce, every step we take, is to prevent tragedies—to stop families from falling apart.
Ali Yerlikaya
He added that each regulation is designed with public safety in mind, underlining that serious violations of traffic laws are what led to these suspensions in the first place.
‘We will never back down’
Minister Yerlikaya concluded with a strong commitment:
We will never take a step back from our uncompromising stance against those who break the rules. Every inspection we carry out is to wipe away a mother’s tears—to prevent a child from losing a parent.
Ali Yerlikaya
This statement reaffirms Türkiye’s ongoing dedication to traffic safety and sends a clear message: reckless behavior behind the wheel will not be tolerated, and there will be no shortcuts back to the road.
