Why more than a MILLION NSW drivers will have a demerit point wiped
More than a million drivers will have one penalty point removed from their record thanks to a new government scheme.
Motorists in NSW who have shown good road behavior in the past 12 months will have one penalty point removed if they hold an unrestricted or professional driver’s license.
It normally takes three years for a point to disappear, but the state government has confirmed that nearly 1.3 million motorists will have their points wiped out in April under the Demerit Point Return Scheme.
Anyone who earned a demerit point between January 17, 2023 and January 17, 2024 and has maintained a zero point since then will automatically be eligible.
More than 1.7 million motorists would have benefited from the scheme announced last year, but almost 400,000 of them have committed an offense since then.
More than a million drivers will have one point removed from their driving record, thanks to a new government scheme.
Prime Minister Chris Minns and Roads Minister John Graham previously said in a joint statement that students and provisional driving license holders are not included in the trial as they are subject to strict conditions of the Graduated Licensing Scheme.
Mr Graham used the ‘carrot and stick’ analogy to introduce the reward-based approach to promoting road safety.
“Drivers in NSW are very used to the stick approach, so this criminal case is an important carrot for them to maintain a clean record for a twelve-month period for the benefit of all motorists, pedestrians and communities,” he said in June.
‘Under the previous government there were almost a million penalty points on the administration, but the toll still increased. Now is the time to try the carrot approach and reward good behavior.”
In the past 12 months, the number of road deaths in the state has risen to 357.
Motorists in NSW who have exhibited good road behavior in the past 12 months will have one point removed if they hold an unrestricted or professional driver’s license.
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said the ‘per capita’ death rate for rural NSW residents is almost five times that of metropolitan residents.
“If all 1.3 million motorists drive safely and within the speed limit, we will see fewer deaths at a time when we need to focus on reversing tolls,” she said.
Drivers can check their penalty points by logging into their MyServiceNSW account.