Majority of us would have accrued some demerits points in our lifetime, but how many demerit points is too many?

What happens when we commit a traffic offence and we have demerit points attached to our name?

If you have been caught committing a traffic offence, either in South Australia or interstate, there is the very real possibility of incurring demerit points on your driver’s licence. The rules surrounding Learner’s and Provisional Licences, and Full Licences differ, and it is important to know the facts.

Learner and Provisional Driver For those on their Learner’s Permit or Provisional (1) or (2) licence, accruing four or more demerit points will mean a disqualification from driving for 6 months.

Full Licensed Drivers For Full Licensed drivers, 12 or more demerit points means that they will receive a disqualification from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence or permit.

• 12 to 15 points means losing the right to drive for three months
• 16 to 20 points means losing the right to drive for four months
• More than 20 points means losing the right to drive for five months

A ‘Demerits Warning Notice’ will be served once accruing 6 or more demerit points, and will outline:

• Offence details
• The date of each committed offence
• The number of demerit points for each offence
• That a disqualification from driving is not far away

Demerit points and their coordinating offences remain on your licence record for three years from the date of the offence. This period is calculated based on that dates each offence was committed.

Common offences leading to incurring demerits points are:[table id="offence"] A full list of offences can be found in the Road Traffic Act 1961, and it is important to recognise these rules and the demerit point system so as to keep out of trouble.

If you are in need of legal assistance in the areas of traffic offences or criminal charges, please contact us on 08 7001 6135 to seek advice from our experienced Adelaide lawyers.