If you have points (caused by driving offences) on your driving licence, you can remove these. This article will guide you on how to do that easily. However, before getting into the relevant part, let me tell a bit about the penalty point system. It will help in better understanding of the main subject matter- “How can I remove points from my driving licence?”
What exactly is the Penalty Point System?
Introduced in 2002, the penalty points system tells about the driving offences of the drivers. It is an official rebuke or threat to warn a driver as he or she has been caught in the act of doing illegal driving activities, actions or behaviours.
Although points do not appear on the licence, these get recorded on your driving licence record. As a consequence of these, your insurance premium is affected.
These records are collected in the National Vehicle and Driver File. It is maintained by the Department of Transport, Tourism, and Sport.
The Road Safety Authority has a list of 63 driving offences along with the complete details of each offence and fines related to each type.
If the driving offences undergoes any of the 63 driving offences, you have to pay fine within 28 or 56 days to avoid a court appearance.
The Objective of Penalty Points
The main objective of penalty points is to correct and improve your driving behaviour. It helps to reduce the accident rate and cope with increasing death tool and car accident injuries.
How does the Penalty Point System work?
You can have penalty point offences on your driving in any of these ways mentioned below:
- You are convicted for any of the major driving offences
- You opt for paying a fine rather than undergoing a court case in a situation when you have been sent or served notice with a fixed-fine on an alleged offence.
A licensed driver is not allowed to drive a car for six months when his or her driving offences reach 12 current penalty points within a period of 3 years. He or she receives a 6-month disqualification notice.
The driver cannot drive any vehicle within a period of six months. It is important to mention here that the disqualification threshold has been reduced from 12 penalty points to 7 penalty points for those who receive their first learners’ permits on or after 1 August 2014. Their time frame is the first 2 years.
How can you Remove Penalty Points from your Driving Licence?
The matter of fact is that penalty points have a lifespan of three years. It means it will remain in your driving record for three years since the date of its effectiveness.
However, if your licence becomes out of date at any point within this period of years, all restrictions on you will be dissolved.
Here, your disqualification will not be counted as a part of the three years. Thus, you can remove points from your driving licence. Take the full advantage of it.