A trial to scrub demerit points from good drivers’ records in New South Wales is being fasttracked.
The initiative, designed to reward drivers across the state, was promised by state Labor heading into this year’s election.
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Under the new plan, which will be rolled out about six months sooner than earmarked, NSW motorists will be able to have a demerit point removed from their licence after a full year of responsible driving.
NSW Premier Chris Minns nodded to the carrot-and-the-stick approach when discussing how the system could also be used as an intrinsic motivator.
“No one has ever tried the carrot,” Minns said.
The national program currently allows drivers to accumulate demerit points following a road offence, and those points remain against the driver’s licence for three years from that date. If a driver reaches their demerit point limit, their licence will be suspended.
That limit depends on the licence the driver holds.
For example, a learner driver can only accumulate four demerit points before they lose their licence, a P2 driver can accumulate seven, and an unrestricted licence can accumulate 13.
The proposed change follows Labor’s election promise for driver demerit rewards, and NSW roads minister John Graham said it comes “nearly six months earlier than originally expected.”
“We’ve seen record fines in the last couple of years, and we still saw the road toll rising, so it’s the right time to try something new.”
Minns announced the proposed shake-up on social media and in a press conference on Friday. “We’re fast tracking our plan to give safe drivers back a demerit point after 12 months, instead of three years,” he tweeted
“If you do the right thing, you’ll get that point back, and we want to incentivise good drivers in New South Wales,” he said in the press conference.
It is understood Minns will attempt to push the policy change through parliament before he goes on break next week.
If it successfully passes through, drivers with demerit points on their licence who have not received a fine in the 12 months before January 17, 2024, will have a single demerit point removed.
One motorist told 7NEWS that he was ambivalent towards demerit rewards because he was already a safe driver. “It doesn’t bother me because I don’t speed. I haven’t lost a demerit point in 50 years,” he said.
Another backed the move, however: “One slight misdemeanour shouldn’t soil your record for three years.”
“I got wrongly booked for going through an orange light when it was still green by a cop on the adjacent side of the intersection about 3 cars back,” one netizen tweeted. “I shouldn’t have to wait three years.”
But not everyone agrees with the proposed demerit reward system.
Pedestrian Council of Australia chairman Harold Scruby said he was concerned the move would make it “easier for people to get away with speeding.”