13 Demerit Points in 2025

LBigfellaborham on 21/04/2025 - 19:19
Last edited 23/04/2025 - 16:28

Thirteen demerit points in NSW is increasingly unfair in today’s context, where speed cameras are virtually on every corner. With such dense camera coverage, even minor, unintentional infractions—like being slightly over the limit for a few seconds—are heavily penalised. This creates a system that punishes frequency over severity and disproportionately impacts safe drivers who make occasional human errors. The system should reflect intent and danger, not revenue-raising through constant surveillance.

On top of that, the amount of police who just park with their radar gun at a spot where the speed limit randomly changes from 80 to 50 to catch people who don’t reduce speed on the spot, which seems more dangerous. Oh and let’s no forget those speed traps they setup in areas where the speed limit changes dramatically all of a sudden. Just saving lives, I guess.

EDIT: interesting feedback. The general consensus among our friends is that everyone is cruising around with about 10 demerit points from picking up the kids and driving to work. All professionals with families holding down good jobs. The OzBargain feedback seems to be tough bickies, you criminal.

EDIT 2: interesting cross section of society we have here on the OzBargain forum. Never met real life people that act so righteous. Curious to know if you’re just like this online or if in real life someone says ‘oh 13 demerit points doesn’t seem like much considering there’s speed cameras on every second block’ and then in real life you guys just launch into a big ol spiel about being the best driver in the world.

Poll Options

  • 137
    Unfair
  • 831
    Fair
Automotive

Comments

        • jackspratt on 24/04/2025 - 14:24

          Perhaps I was remiss in deciding to omit the /s.

          • The Wololo Wombat on 24/04/2025 - 15:14
            +1

            @jackspratt: Nah, you said Praize the Lawd. That's counts a vote for Trump in Texas and you can't take it back.

  • danwylie on 24/04/2025 - 11:39
    +3

    Snore, same old story. The people who complain most about this are exactly who you'd expect. A handful of leadfoots who attribute their incompetence to bad luck, "I don't normally speed, but just this one time (5 times) the cop was hiding in the bushes and the speed limit had gone from 80 to 50 suddenly (because they'd turned off a main road onto a residential street) and blah blah blah." Most of them grow out of it, i.e., become more competent with experience and take fewer risks as they age. Some don't and whine about it constantly, they're the ones you'll hear talking about "revenue raising" and never seem to pause to wonder why the average demerit point total for a 45 year old is 0.6 and 99.8% of their peers don't have a suspended license.

  • Hvrd on 24/04/2025 - 11:45

    There’s no common sense in police enforcement, black and white no matter what

  • hyc on 24/04/2025 - 12:58
    +1

    To be honest, you are lucky to live in NSW. If you lived in VIC, you would be even worse off. I used to not understand why there is a rule of double penalty points and double fines, but after reading your statement, I understand. Yes, some roads have unreasonable speed limits (more likely unreasonable for you driving your car, but reasonable for others like workers or children), but that is not a reason for you to speed.

  • resisting the urge on 24/04/2025 - 13:15

    Just like savings accounts, gubmints watch our demerits balances; deciding monthly how many more can be 'extracted' to maximise impact on individual hopes and freedoms.

    • Purp on 24/04/2025 - 14:14
      +3

      I agree it's an extra tax on dumb people

  • pennypacker42069 on 24/04/2025 - 14:14
    +2

    Plenty of people manage to get no demerit points. If you don’t speed you won’t get any

  • Ononono on 24/04/2025 - 14:31
    +7

    Been driving for many years, never once got fined for speeding. I think most drivers are the same, I don't know who your friends with but I can't recall anyone I know complaining about always getting speeding tickets. I'm always conscious of what speed I'm going. If I'm zooming past other cars then I know without checking that I need to slow down, it's really not hard. If you can't figure it out perhaps driving is not for you.

  • Mumbles on 24/04/2025 - 19:56

    I found it more and more painful being a car owner. Eg. Speeding fines, license suspensions, parking fees, toll ways, fuel, running costs.

    When I bought a motorcycle commuting switched from stressful to joyful. Shorter travel times in peak hour traffic where its legal to ride in bus lanes. Legal lane filtering. Free parking. Lower fuel costs. Faster acceleration.

    If you are a frustrated car driver then consider a competing mode of transport to see if there's a better way.

    • topherboi on 27/04/2025 - 10:13

      I found it more and more painful being a car owner. Eg. Speeding fines, license suspensions, parking fees, toll ways, fuel, running costs.

      Weird, I'm a car owner and don't experience the pain you are describing.

      • Muppet Detector on 27/04/2025 - 15:12

        The thing that I find most undesirable about owning a car is the expectation that when it's at home, I park it in the garage.

        There are soooo many better things I can think of to use this space than to provide my car with rent free accomodation.

  • Bluto Mindpretzel on 24/04/2025 - 21:00
    +1

    This question is just a complete shamozzle.

  • ribze1 on 24/04/2025 - 22:52
    +1

    i've been driving for 20 years and never been caught. I probably go over the limit a bit often and like to give it a squirt every so often. If you're going to speed then do it on roads you know.

  • Antikythera on 25/04/2025 - 00:40
    +1

    i have a pretty heavy right foot.
    i set cruise control well over the posted limit.

    i have had 1 point on my license in the last decade.

    are you mouthing off to the coppers when they pull you over or something?

  • stickingly on 25/04/2025 - 08:21
    +1

    I wish they would install more cameras and increase the points awarded, especially around my kids' school and the quiet street that I live in that people use as a ratrun shortcut.

    It's pathetic all these people crying about how they can't avoid speeding and trying to justify why they speed. F me, if you are intelligent enough to operate a motor vehicle you could manage to drive under the speed limit. It's not that hard

  • Trubutwhy on 25/04/2025 - 12:30

    As someone who doesn't go over the speed limit and lets people right of way.. whats so hard?

  • kaleidoscope on 25/04/2025 - 12:40

    if you have heavy right foot, learn to use your cruise control and be more patient when driving. the demerit system is there for a reason and it's fair. I wish there were more of them cameras here in vic as seeing how carelessly people drive these days even around school zones.

  • Randolph Duke on 26/04/2025 - 07:29
    +3

    Love the edit’s in the opening post. Their small sample size of friends trumps 900 strangers

  • Davo1111 on 26/04/2025 - 07:36
    +1

    Have you considered just driving slower?

  • ziggy2031 on 26/04/2025 - 10:53

    Here's the other part. When you have lost 2+ demerits, your green slip goes up $300 for 3 years. As a tradie I consider myself a professional driver and there's just too many cameras now. BUT I tried very hard for this, am now on ZERO demerits. I use the $1000 greenslip (over 3 years) as incentive and just drive the speed limit and stop on orange lights. I'm still not late for anything so fingers crossed I keep it that way.

  • Baghern on 26/04/2025 - 16:25
    +2

    Doesnt matter how lax the rules are… theres always some numbnut who thinks its too hard

    The issue here isnt the rules, the issue here is Op inability to adapt to the situation, 13 points is not normal

  • chops on 27/04/2025 - 12:54

    The votes don’t lie, it’s Tradies that are the problem LOL!

  • Muppet Detector on 27/04/2025 - 15:50
    -1

    Does anybody know why we are permitted to accrue 13 demerit points? How did "they" decide that this was the magic number as opposed to something higher or lower?

    Also correct me if I'm wrong, but this is 13 points over a period of three years, not for your entire driving lifetime. I think whoever came up with that idea (as opposed to a set amount for life) had their thinking hat on the day they suggested that.

    I also think that a combination of both points and fines in that 3 year fixed point environment is an awesome management strategy as it is one which doesn't favour the rich whilst putting undue disadvantage on those with limited disposable income.

    I think a variation of the number of demerit points and associated fine for each incident is a good idea, but I'd argue that the reflect far more considerations than those regarding safety.

    The variable penalties show what kinds of behaviours are desirable and those which are not. They also indicate the tolerance level for each type of offence and how much we want you to correct/ modify/ deter those undesirable behaviours if you want to continue using public roads.

    Considering the number of questionable things people do with and in their cars, unless these things are captured by other laws, then I think there should be a whole bunch more behaviours we should explicitly discourage through the demerit system.

    Far too frequently we see examples of people (drivers and passengers) who fail to think about the potential adverse consequences of their actions during vehicle usage (and all other areas of life too, but anyway). Too many people need protection from themselves and relying on Darwinism to sort it out just isn't good enough.

  • eccaz on 04/06/2025 - 12:34

    I’d love to see tailgating cracked down on a lot more, ridiculous how overlooked it is.

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