If you commit a traffic offence you may gain demerit points. You don’t lose demerit points, you acquire them. All drivers start with zero points.
If you accrue 12 or more demerit points within a 3 year period you will be liable for disqualification.
On this page
Check online
Your demerit points are personal information, so you need a mySAGOV account to check them online.
- Log in to your mySAGOV account using your internet browser (not the mySAGOV app). Select Start now below to begin.
- Select Demerit point enquiry under your demerit point status
- Under the Demerit point offences section, you can view your offences. This includes how many demerit points were accrued from the offence, the offence type and offence date.
There is no fee to check your demerit points.
When do demerit points expire?
Demerit points will apply from the date of the offence. They are recorded against a driver once the expiation has been paid, or finalised through a court process.
Demerit points expire 3 years after the date of the offence. For example, if an offence was committed on 18 May 2015 those points expire on 18 May 2018.
You can check when your demerit points expire by following the steps above. Select Start now to begin.
Demerit point offences
The number of demerit points incurred depends on the type of offence and how likely it is to cause an accident.
The tables provide a summary of common driving offences that incur demerit points. For a full list of offences, see Motor Vehicles Regulations 2010 - Schedule 4 - Demerit Points (348.4 KB PDF).
Speeding offences
| Offence | Demerit points |
|---|---|
| by less than 10 km/h | 2 |
| by 10 km/h or more but less than 20 km/h | 3 |
| by 20 km/h or more but less than 30 km/h | 5 |
| by 30 km/h or more but less than 45 km/h | 7 |
| by 45 km/h or more (excessive speed)* | 9 |
*This offence will also incur an automatic loss of licence for 6 months. Police may also wheel clamp or impound an offender's vehicle.
General road traffic offences
| Offence | Demerit points |
|---|---|
| failing to stop for a red traffic light | 3 |
| using a mobile phone while driving | 3 |
| failing to wear a seatbelt - driver | 3 |
| failing to stop at a stop sign or line at an intersection | 3 |
| driving with no 'P' or 'L' plates affixed | 2 |
| driving an unregistered vehicle on the road | fine only |
| driving at night or in hazardous weather without effective lights | 1 |
For expiation fee information see Expiations or Paying a traffic expiation notice.
Demerit point warning notice
If you accrue 6 or more demerit points, you will receive a notice warning that you are close to being disqualified from driving (unless you have an interstate address).
The warning notice shows:
- offence details
- the date each offence was committed
- the number of demerit points for each offence.
Disqualification from driving
If you accumulate 12 or more demerit points in a three-year period you may be disqualified from holding a driver's licence.
If you hold a learner’s permit or provisional licence and accrue 4 or more demerit points you will be disqualified from driving for 6 or 12 months (depending on your circumstances).
See Disqualifications and suspensions for more information on:
- reasons your licence can be disqualified or suspended
- what to do if you receive a disqualification notice
- disqualification types, how long you will be disqualified for and appeal options.
Important information
- For a camera offence, the expiation notice is issued to the registered owner of the vehicle. If they accept the expiation, the demerit points will be allocated to them.
The registered owner can nominate another driver if they were not driving the vehicle when an offence is detected. Demerit points will not be recorded against a driver until the expiation is paid. Find out more about SAPOL expiation notices. - Demerit points are not incurred for parking infringements, driving an unregistered vehicle, or driving without a valid licence. However, financial penalties still apply for these offences.
- Demerit points can be incurred for some offences committed interstate.
- Double demerit points for a single offence do not exist for offences committed in South Australia.
- Using your mySAGOV account, you can pay a fee and get an official driver's licence report showing:
- licence status
- licence classes
- demerit points
- offences for the past 10 years.
