By ANNA USHER

More than one million drivers across NSW have had one demerit point wiped off their driver’s license as a reward for 12 months of good road behaviour.

The program was an election promise of the Minns government designed to place a sharper focus on road safety amid a current record-breaking road death toll.

Drivers who maintained a clean driving record between January 17, 2023, and January 17, 2024, will have a demerit point erased from their record – a process typically taking three years.

“It has been a big community call out for people to drive safely … 1.2 million drivers responded to that call and have kept a spotless record for 12 months,” NSW Roads Minister John Graham said.

“That’s good news for them. But it keeps all of us safer.”

Motoring fatalities in NSW have reached a crisis point, with a total of 369 lives lost since March 2023.

Figures obtained by Mosman Collective show thousands of local drivers with an unrestricted or professional licence will benefit from the scheme.

“In the first year of the NSW Government’s Demerit Point Return Trial, there were 4,977 drivers in Mosman LGA eligible for the demerit point removal, and North Sydney LGA 13,069 were eligible,” a Transport for NSW spokesperson confirmed.

There are 25,938 licence holders in Mosman LGA.

“8,145 people [in Mosman] have current demerit points on their licence, and of those, 4,977 were eligible for the demerit point removal,” the spokesperson said.

In North Sydney LGA, 76,020 residents hold current NSW licenses.

“20,535 people [in North Sydney] have current demerit points on their licence, and of those, 13,069 were eligible for the demerit point removal.”

The Central Coast Local Government Area (LGA) was the single biggest beneficiary of the program, with 54,971 residents getting a point back.

Drivers from Sydney’s west, who are typically more car-reliant, featured in five of the top 10 LGAs — meaning 290,287 demerit points were scrapped from people living in Blacktown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Liverpool and Parramatta LGAs.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said:

“Reducing the road toll and rewarding safe driving across the state is the aim of this trial, and we hope it gives drivers that little bit of extra incentive to achieve a spotless record.”

“It’s time we put safety back at the centre of our road rules, not revenue raising.”

“This is an appropriate way for good drivers to earn a point back.”

“Our message couldn’t be clearer: drive safely, and you’ll get a point scrubbed from your licence. The more people who qualify for a point, the safer our roads.”