More than a million motorists are set to get a demerit point back in five weeks as long as they don’t commit any driving offences within that time frame.
Almost 1.1million NSW drivers will have a demerit point scrubbed from their record on January 16 if they have not broken any road rules for the past 12 months.
Premier Chris Minns introduced a trial scheme to reward good driver behaviour to help tackle the state’s increased road toll.
In NSW, motorists can get up to 13 demerit points before their unrestricted licence is cancelled by authorities.
And to encourage even more safe driving over the Christmas and New Year period, the government has released a suburb breakdown of where drivers are on track to get a demerit point back, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Some NSW suburbs have thousands of drivers poised to have a demerit point scrubbed from their record – but some suburbs have only one motorist on track, such as Abbotsford Point.
The Central Coast will be the state’s biggest beneficiary, with 54,971 drivers on track to have a point removed.
Another area that its residents rely on vehicles is Sydney’s west – and five of the top ten LGAs were located there.
Over one million NSW drivers are on track to have a demerit point wiped if they keep driving safely not incur any offences (pictured stock photo of mobile speed camera)
Blacktown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Liverpool, Parramatta, The Hills, Penrith and Fairfield LGAs have had 290,287 demerit points scrapped.
The reminder for good road safety comes after there has been 321 deaths on NSW roads in 2024 as of Thursday, which is two more than the same time last year.
The government has now decided to keep the scheme running in 2025 after a positive response from drivers.
The scheme also provide a counterbalance to fines, enforcement and double demerit points – punishments usually relied upon to make motorists drive safely.
The scheme is for eligible unrestricted and professional licence holders with active demerit points
NSW Roads Minister John Graham said just one demerit point could mean the difference between a motorist losing their licence or staying 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,’ he said.
‘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.’
NSW Regional Transport and Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison said despite only a third of NSW’s population living in regional areas, a staggering two-thirds of all NSW road deaths happened in the regions.
More to come
