Demerits and fines
Sadly, the consequences of doing the wrong thing on the road are often much worse than the inconvenience of losing your licence. Demerits and fines remind us to do the right thing to help keep ourselves and other road users safe.
Do the wrong thing on the road and you’ll be issued between one and six demerit points (unless it’s double demerits time) and/or possibly a fine.
Demerit point limits
If you’ve had your licence for less than two years you’re considered a novice driver and the Graduated Demerit Point system applies. This means if you get 4+ points by the end of your first year or 8+ by the end of your second year – you’ll lose your licence.
Demerit point limits for each driver type:
- Learner's permit
- 4 points in total (disqualified for at least 3 months)
- First year of licence
- 4 points in total (disqualified for at least 3 months)
- Second year of licence
- 8 points in total (disqualified for at least 3 months)
- Ordinary licence
- 12 points in total
You could lose your licence
You could lose your licence (or worse) if you get caught:
- Speeding.
- Not wearing a seatbelt.
- Using a mobile phone while driving.
- Failing to obey traffic lights.
- Failing to give proper left or right change of direction signal.
- Driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.
Check out the Drive Safe Top 10 for some extra tips for staying safe on the road.
