Professor Luis Montoro González, Emeritus Professor in the Department of Basic Psychology at the University of Valencia and former Dean of the Faculty of Psychology and Speech Therapy, has been recognised by the Ministry of the Interior and the Directorate-General for Traffic for his contribution to the promotion and development of Spain’s driving licence points system.
The recognition took the form of a commemorative diploma presented at an event held on 1 July to mark the twentieth anniversary of the introduction of the points system. The ceremony brought together representatives of public administrations, victims’ associations, universities, the media and specialists who played a significant role in establishing and consolidating the system. Alongside Luis Montoro, awards were presented to political representatives and technical officials from the Directorate-General for Traffic, the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard and other professionals involved in its implementation.
The driving licence points system came into force in Spain on 1 July 2006. Moving beyond an exclusively punitive approach, it introduced a model based on drivers’ continuing responsibility, combining the loss of points with training measures, awareness-raising initiatives and procedures for recovering a driving licence.
The psychological and educational dimensions are among the central elements of the model. Over the past two decades, nearly 142,000 road safety awareness and re-education courses have been delivered, involving more than one million drivers. Of those who completed and passed these courses, 88.4% did not receive another penalty during the following six months, while the proportion remained above 55% three years later.
Luis Montoro is one of Spain’s leading figures in the field of traffic psychology and road safety. An Emeritus Professor at the University of Valencia, he remains affiliated with the University Research Institute on Traffic and Road Safety —INTRAS—, where he leads the FACTHUM.lab research group. His academic and professional career has focused on the study of human factors, driving behaviour, risk perception, the prevention of road crashes and the transfer of psychological knowledge into public road safety policies.
In addition to serving as Dean of the Faculty of Psychology and Speech Therapy, Montoro was Director of INTRAS and has maintained close collaboration with public administrations, police forces and institutions working in the fields of traffic and mobility. In 1999, he received the Ministry of the Interior’s Road Safety Merit Medal, in the silver category with blue distinction, in recognition of his technical contributions and the educational and training work undertaken through INTRAS. His career has also received several awards related to applied research, prevention and road safety.
This new recognition highlights both Professor Luis Montoro’s personal contribution and the social relevance of research conducted within the field of Psychology. The development of the driving licence points system demonstrates the importance of incorporating knowledge about human behaviour into public policy and provides an outstanding example of scientific knowledge transfer aimed at prevention, education and the protection of life.
