Demerit Points

People detected committing driving offences, apart from the monetary penalty and potential licence cancellation for some offences, may also be subject to having points removed from their drivers / riders licence.

The Roads & Traffic Authority ( now Roads & Maritime Services since 1 November 2011 ) is the licensing authority in NSW and administers the demerit points system. A driver who has the prescribed number of points removed from their licence (set depending on licence type) in a specified period, may have their license cancelled or be asked to show cause why that license should not be cancelled.

At certain times of the year stipulated by legislation, double demerit points apply to speeding offences and one additional point to other driving offences. These periods align with public holiday periods.

In the case of exceeding the speed limit, a driver will be issued with a traffic infringement notice. In the case of a speed camera detected offence, a penalty notice is posted to the registered owner of the vehicle who can then nominate the driver. The normal demerit point scale for speeding is:-

• 1 point – exceed speed 15km/h and under
• 3 points – over 15km/h
• 4 points – over 30km/h + one month suspension from driving)
• 6 points – over 45km/h (+ three months suspension from driving)

( This information was correct pre 2001 )