Foreign Drivers’ Dodgy Demerit Points Tactic Triggers Border Force Action
The Australian Border Force steps in to tackle foreign drivers evading demerit points through fraudulent nominations
Australia, New South Wales, Demerit Points, Border Force, Traffic Offences, French Nationals
Sydney: So, it turns out that some foreign drivers have been playing a sneaky game with demerit points. The Australian Border Force is now on the case, teaming up with local authorities to crack down on this dodgy tactic. Apparently, thousands of drivers who’ve been nominated for traffic offences have never even set foot in Australia!
New South Wales road authorities are fed up with this trickery. They’re especially concerned about foreign nationals using fake documents to dodge penalties. Just this week, the French consulate agreed to help stop their citizens from getting involved in this mess.
Now, the Border Force is checking records whenever someone with an international licence is nominated for a traffic violation. They found that a staggering number of nominees—around 40,000—had never been to Australia. Some of their details might even be floating around on the dark web!
Between May 2022 and January this year, about 125,000 penalties were handed out to international drivers, racking up a whopping 256,000 demerit points. It’s a real headache for the authorities, especially since some of these drivers are actually Australian citizens or permanent residents who just happen to hold foreign licences.
If it turns out that a nominated driver was outside Australia when the offence happened, the penalty can be quickly reassigned to the person who tried to pass the buck. This issue has been around for a while, and the government has been trying different ways to tackle it.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that 30 licence holders living at the same address had accumulated over 2,100 demerit points. Can you believe that? Some French nationals have even bragged online about how they’re getting away with breaking the rules. One post said something like, “I got busted in NSW but I’m already heading to South Australia.”
Because of all this, a Demerit Point Taskforce was set up, made up of officials from various agencies. They’ve already suspended over 50 repeat offenders. The NSW government is taking this seriously, saying they won’t tolerate this tiny group of lawbreakers who are putting road safety at risk.
Authorities are also cracking down on Facebook Marketplace, where some foreign drivers are paying Aussie drivers to take on their demerit points. It’s a whole underground market, and it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
In March, new rules were announced requiring foreign drivers to convert to an Australian licence if they’re staying longer than a short visit. This is to close the loophole that allowed them to rack up points without facing consequences.
So, it looks like the authorities are really stepping up their game to put an end to this dodgy demerit point trade. It’s about time, right?