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1How can I lose my licence?

There are several ways you could lose your licence. These are:

  • Accumulating too many demerit points,
  • Being disqualified from driving for certain offences,
  • At the request of the Registrar of Motor Vehicles, or
  • Any other law that requires your licence to be suspended or cancelled.

2How do demerit points work?

All drivers start with zero demerits points. Every time you commit certain driving offences, you will accumulate a number of demerit points (the number of points will be on your Traffic Infringement Notice). If you accumulate too many demerit points over a certain period of time, your licence will be suspended or you’ll be ineligible to obtain a new licence for a period of time.

This is shown in the following table:

Number of demerit points accumulated

Licence type

Number of demerit points

Suspension/ineligibility period you will be required to serve

(months)

How long demerit points are active for (Used when calculating suspension or ineligibility from offence date)

Full licence

12 to 15

3

3 years

16 to 19

4

20 plus

5

Provisional licence

4 to 15

3

12 months

16 to 19

4

20 plus

5

Learner licence

4 to 15

3

12 months

16 to 19

4

20 plus

5

Unlicensed driver

4 to 15

3

12 months

16 to 19

4

20 plus

5

3How do I check my demerit points?

You can check the number of demerit points you have accumulated by calling Service Tasmania on 1300 13 55 13. This will only show demerit points already recorded, not offences that you’ve not yet paid or that are going to be heard in court.

4How are demerit points calculated?

Demerit points are calculated from the offence date (not the date of conviction). A learner or provisional licence is liable for suspension if they record 4 or more demerit points in a period of 12 months or less.

5How many demerit points will I get for certain driving offences?

You can check how many demerit points you’ll get for different driving offences using our Traffic Infringement Notice Search.

6What happens if I reach my demerit points limit?

If you meet or go over your demerit points limit, you’ll:

  • Be suspended from driving.
  • Have a Period of Ineligibility – this means that you won’t be able to drive or apply for a licence for a certain period of time.

You may be able to apply for a Period of Good Behaviour.

7If I reach my demerits point limit, what can I do? Can I dispute my demerit points?

If you think you’ve wrongfully been given demerit points, you can contact Traffic Liaison Services at Tasmania Police by telephone (6173 2963) or email traffic.liaison@police.tas.gov.au.