When people colloquially refer to “points in Flensburg,” they actually mean the points in the Driver Fitness Register (FAER) which is maintained by the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) in Flensburg.
According to the automobile club KS e.V., traffic offences or crimes that result in a fine of at least 60 euros or a driving ban are evaluated with certain point scores depending on their type and severity.
The automobile club points to the KBA in this context: On one hand, the protection of the public from unsuitable drivers is to be ensured - so if there are too many points, the driving license may be revoked. On the other hand, the FAER is also meant to serve as a warning signal and be used to review and positively change one's own behavior.
According to Isabella Finsterwalder, press spokeswoman of the automobile club KS e.V, certain consequences threaten depending on the score of points: “With
one to three points there is a preliminary warning, with four to five points a warning, with six to seven points a reprimand - warning and reprimand are then combined with the advice to voluntarily participate in a driver suitability seminar. With eight or more points, the driver’s license is gone. The driving ban applies for at least six months, after which one must undergo a medical-psychological examination, the MPU, in which driving suitability is assessed.”
Checking the point score
You can find out your own point score in different ways: In any case, the information is free of charge - there are still postage costs for the mail route.
For the information by mail, the application form can be downloaded and filled out from the Federal Motor Transport Authority's website. For the application, a copy of the front and back of the valid ID card or passport must be enclosed or the signature on
the completed form must be officially certified.
You can also obtain information in person at the KBA in Flensburg. For this, a valid ID card or passport or an official service ID is required.
Then there is a third option: the online register query. An NFC-(Near-Field Communication) enabled smartphone or a card reader for the PC is required for this, an online ID including a six-digit PIN, and software installed on the device that can read the online ID, for example, AusweisApp.
Deletion periods
There remains the question of how long the registered points and measures remain.
“This depends on the type or severity of the traffic violations. The entries are deleted after the expiration of the respective period plus a one-year retention period. This deletion occurs automatically and does not need to be requested separately by the holder of the driving license,” says Finsterwalder.
The automobile club KS e.V. explains the deletion periods valid
according to the KBA:
2 years and six months:
- for decisions due to traffic safety-impacting administrative offenses (for example, mobile phone violation)
5 years:
- for decisions due to particularly traffic safety-impacting administrative offenses (for example, alcohol offences)
- for decisions due to crimes without revocation of the driving license or without isolated disqualification for obtaining a driving license
10 years:
- for decisions due to crimes with revocation of the driving license or with an isolated disqualification for obtaining a driving license.
According to the automobile club, with a point score of up to five points, there is also the possibility of actively reducing one point every five years - by voluntarily participating in a driver fitness seminar.
This consists of a traffic-pedagogical part, which aims to impart knowledge about traffic law and traffic-safe behavior, as well as a traffic-psychological part, which deals with driving behavior in order to correct the participant's behavior towards greater traffic safety.
