What is the Demerit Points Scheme of New South Wales?

New South Wales, or NSW as it is more commonly referred to, is regarded to be the most cosmopolitan state in Australia. With an economy larger than that of Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia, NSW is also an economic powerhouse as well. Well-connected internationally – 1000+ flights operating in any given week – NSW has a lot to justify being called Australia's first state.

There are 8 separate departments under the NSW government. Each of the department houses individual offices, agencies, and entities. A national program dealing with driving offences, the Demerit Points Scheme comes under the NSW Department of Transport.

The Scheme is designed for encouraging responsible driving. In addition to the financial penalties awarded for different driving offences, the system of giving demerits for offences also serves as a strong incentive for people to drive within the rules and regulations.

With the NSW Demerit Points Scheme, a traffic offender’s licence can be suspended for certain number of months following a traffic infringement.

Let us get a brief overview as to how does the NSW Demerit Points Scheme work.

No traffic offences mean zero demerit points.

If, however, you are found guilty of committing an offence that carries with it certain demerit points, the same will be added to your driving record.

Do keep in mind that different kinds of licences have different limits for demerit points. The limits are as follows –

Licence Type	Demerit Points Limit
Learner licence	4 points
Provisional P1 licence	4 points
Provisional P2 licence	7 points
Unrestricted licence	13 points
Professional drivers	14 points
Unrestricted licence [with a good behaviour period]	2 points within the term of the good behaviour period

You will be liable for certain consequences if, within a 3-year period, you commit enough demerit points so that you either reach the limit or go beyond the limit for your specific license type. Your licence can either be suspended or not renewed. In such a situation, a Notice of Suspension or Refusal will be sent.

The 3-year period is to be calculated between the dates of commission of the first and the last offence.

Excessive speeding can lead to licence suspension.

2 drunk driving offences in a 5-year period will require the driver to pass the Driver Knowledge Test before they are allowed to drive again.

Anyone caught driving on a suspended licence will be considered to have committed an offence.

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