Demerit bonus rewards safe drivers in NSW
Yesterday at 03:00 PM
Motorists in New South Wales who have maintained a clean record for 12 months could soon have a demerit point removed from their licence – as the government tries to incentivise safe driving.
More than a million drivers in New South Wales could have a demerit point removed from their licences in the coming month.
For the second year running, the Demerit Point Return Scheme will reward motorists who’ve maintained a clean driving record for a 12-month period by scrubbing a demerit point from their record.
According to the New South Wales Government, almost 1.1 million drivers are on track to benefit – provided they make it through the holiday period without a traffic infringement – with the scheme to end on 16 January 2025.
While the threat of demerit points and fines are meant to discourage unsafe driving, the scheme is designed to encourage those who are attentive and law-abiding by providing the chance to drop a demerit point.
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“People are used to the stick of enforcement and double demerits but this is the carrot of reward for good behaviour,” NSW Minister for Roads John Graham said in a written statement.
“At a time when fatalities have been on the rise on our roads, we can all do something to make sure no more families are left grieving rather than celebrating Christmas and New Year.”
In New South Wales, unrestricted licence holders can accumulate 13 demerit points before it’s suspended – while professional drivers will lose their licences at 14 points.
Learners and provisional P1 licence holders have their driving privileges taken away after four points, increasing to seven points when they graduate to a provisional P2 licence.
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However, those with learner and provisional licences are not eligible for the scheme.
Government data suggests 30 per cent of motorists who could have benefited from the demerit point return lost that chance after receiving a traffic infringement over the past year.
“The NSW Government is working every avenue to drive deaths and road trauma towards zero across the state, including by rewarding those drivers who have improved their driving behaviour in the last year,” Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison added.
“My message to those people is to continue that good driving behaviour and stay on track for a demerit reward.”
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