Drivers who accumulate 100 demerit points by speeding or other driving offences receive a suspension notice - if they can be found. Photo / NZME
Drivers who accumulate 100 demerit points by speeding or other driving offences receive a suspension notice - if they can be found. Photo / NZME
Northland drivers who rack up too many demerit points are on the road for an average of nearly four months before their licences are officially suspended.
The average time of 119 days between when a driver's demerit points reached 100 and when a suspension notice was served was the second-highestin the country. The national average was 88 days.
The data from Waka Kotahi, which details the average delays over the first six months of this year, was released following an Official Information Act request.
Northland Road Safety Trust chairman John Williamson said allowing these drivers - who are supposed to be suspended for three months - to stay on the road is dangerous.
"That's appalling and I understand it can even be a couple of years. To me, that's a huge issue.
"If you've accumulated 100 demerit points in two years, you're a pretty bad driver. You shouldn't be on the road."
Suspension notices were just one part of an "archaic" system of fines and penalties, which has not been revised since 1999, Williamson said.
"It needs to be combined into the whole picture of what is our strategy - things like penalties and fines and demerit points and making sure these consequences are actually delivered."
The system for serving suspension notices was complex, without one agency taking full responsibility for it, he added.
One department needed to focus on making sure notices were served, he said.
Road safety advocate John Williamson. Photo / Tania Whyte
Suspension notices had to be served either by a police officer or through a written notice from Waka Kotahi that had to be signed for by the suspended driver.
A Waka Kotahi spokesperson said there were multiple factors involved in the delays.
These included police being unable to locate the licence holder, the person not being home to sign for couriered documents, and the person having changed address without updating Waka Kotahi.
When a licence holder was not home, a card would be left and the person would be given 10 days to collect documents from a courier depot with ID.
"Demerit points may also take more time to be loaded onto a driver licence record for a variety of reasons – including delays paying an infringement," Waka Kotahi said.
Demerit points are loaded onto a driver licence only when a fine has been paid, or after 56 days of non-payment.
Suspensions cannot be served after two years unless the driver accumulated more points in those two years.
The region with the longest delay was Gisborne, at 128 days. Many of the regions with larger populations, and a higher number of suspensions, had a lower average time.
In Canterbury, the average time was 74 days and 1185 suspension notices were served.
In Northland, there were just 334 notices served this year.
Demerit points and suspensions
Demerit points are given for offences including speeding (except speed camera infringements), breaching licence conditions and a number of other offences including using a mobile phone while driving.
The number of points depends on the offence and for speeding, how many km/h over the speed limit. Speeding offences vary from 10 to 50 points.
Once a driver receives 100 points in a two-year period, notice of a three-month suspension is served - if the driver can be found.
The suspension notice cannot be served after two years, if no more demerit points are accumulated.
Suspended drivers must re-apply for a licence once the suspension period is over.
