Almost 1.1 million drivers are on track to have a demerit point scrubbed from their licence as the NSW Government urges a safe Christmas and New Year on the state's roads.
The second year of the demerit point return scheme will end on 16 January 2025, giving motorists that little extra incentive to remain offence-free at a time when people travel longer distances to reunite with family or go on holiday.
About 1.5 million drivers were eligible this year, with about 70 per cent still on course to benefit.
It comes at a critical time for road safety, with 323 deaths so far on NSW roads this year - three more than at the same point in 2023.
The demerit point scheme will continue in 2025 after Transport for NSW noted a positive reception among drivers to having an incentive to drive safely as a counterbalance to fines, enforcement and double demerits.
Results from the first 12-month period showed it was drivers in some of the most car-reliant parts of NSW, including western Sydney and the Central Coast, who benefited most.
Data broken down by local government area showed the Central Coast was the single biggest beneficiary, with 54,971 drivers having a demerit point removed from their licence, while five of the top ten LGAs were in Sydney's west.
Blacktown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Liverpool, Parramatta, The Hills, Penrith and Fairfield, saw a total of 290, 287 demerit points wiped in the first year of the trial.
Western Sydney has a disproportionately higher number of people who rely on a driver's licence for their livelihood, including taxi, rideshare and delivery drivers.
The demerit point scheme is open to eligible unrestricted and professional licence holders with active demerit points. To qualify for the reduction, they must maintain an offence-free record for 12 months.
Demerit point return is part of a suite of measures introduced by the Minns Labor Government to encourage safe driving, including:
- Seatbelt enforcement by the existing mobile phone camera detection network
- Removing a loophole to force all motorists driving on a foreign licence to convert to a NSW licence within six months
- Doubling roadside enforcement sites used for mobile speed cameras, with the addition of 2,700 new locations where a camera can be deployed. Enforcement hours will remain the same
- A trial of average speed cameras for light vehicles
- Hosting the state's first Road Safety Forum of international and local experts
- Signing the National Road Safety Data Agreement with the Commonwealth
Minister for Roads John Graham said:
"More than a million drivers have the chance to get a precious demerit point scrubbed from their licence, which in some cases can mean the difference between remaining on the road.
"If you drive for a living then the reward for safe driving could be the difference between ongoing employment and losing your livelihood.
"These are very personal incentives to drive safely, but the broader effect is that safety on our roads is enhanced overall when people are making the right decisions to remain within the speed limit and within the law,
"People are used to the stick of enforcement and double demerits but this is the carrot of reward for good behaviour. At a time when fatalities have been on the rise on our roads, we can all do something to make sure no more families are left grieving rather than celebrating Christmas and New Year.
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said:
"As we head into the busy summer period, I am urging all motorists to drive so others survive. For those drivers who may have demerit points from previous years, but who have managed to keep their driving record clean this year, there will be a demerit reward if they can maintain their improved driving behaviours.
"Most importantly, by improving our driving behaviour, we are all helping to save lives and reduce trauma on our roads.
"It's really simple to save lives on our road this Christmas and holiday period: stick to the speed limit, don't drink and drive or use other drugs, put your mobile phone out of reach to avoid distraction, manage your fatigue and always, always wear a seatbelt.
"Regional deaths on our roads make up over two thirds of all deaths on our roads, despite only a third of our population living in the regions. Deaths and road trauma hit tight knit regional and rural communities extra hard as everyone knows everyone and the grief, hurt and trauma impact even more widely.
"The NSW Government is working every avenue to drive deaths and road trauma towards zero across the state, including by rewarding those drivers who have improved their driving behaviour in the last year. My message to those people is to continue that good driving behaviour and stay on track for a demerit reward."
