Over half a million fined over unlicensed driving

ANKARA

Turkish traffic control units have fined 535,065 people for driving without a valid license this year, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced.

In 2024 alone, more than 134,000 drivers faced penalties for reckless speeding, which remains the foremost contributor to fatal accidents in Türkiye, Yerlikaya said in a social media post on Nov. 17.

More than 23,000 drivers were cited for neglecting to fasten their seat belts, the minister said.

According to data provided by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), the country witnessed over 1.3 million traffic accidents last year, killing 6,548 individuals.

"Please, for the sake of both your own safety and that of others, refrain from taking the wheel without a valid license," Yerlikaya expressed.

In recent years, Türkiye has been grappling with a distressing rise in catastrophic fatalities, particularly involving intercity buses, underscoring the urgency of enhanced traffic safety measures.

In August, a passenger bus crashed into a bridge abutment near the capital Ankara’s Polatlı district, resulting in 11 deaths and 24 injuries.