Graeme Elvin Mackenzie Elvin

Those of us used to jumping in the car to go everywhere and anywhere need to be careful about our speed and those demerit points this summer.

It's also worth noticing there are some other demerit point traps.

I'm not going to get into an argument about whether speed cameras and hidden police cars with radar on straight pieces of road are for road safety or revenue collection; that is a totally different debate.

What I do want to remind you of is the following:

1. You do not get demerit points (yet) if you get caught by a speed camera.
2. Demerit offences and their respective consequences are as follows:

Exceeding the speed limit can lose you between 10-50 demerit points depending on how much faster than the speed limit you are driving.

Another 20 can go if you are caught using a mobile phone while driving.

Then there are those relating to your vehicle including:

• Plate related offences as well as operating a vehicle which creates excessive noise or creating excessive noise within or on a vehicle.

Offences relating to alcohol and police officers will substantially increase your demerit points load as these offences range between 35-50 points in value each.

Then there are the general offences which relate to your driving ability or knowledge of the road rules:

• Failure to give way at a pedestrian crossing will cost you 35 demerits
• Failure to comply with a school patrol sign will cost you 20
• All railway related offences will lose you 20 as well
• All other failures with road rules can cost you between 10-30.

If your total points reach 100 in 12 months then you will get 6 months disqualification, and if you accumulate 100 points over 24 months you will be disqualified for 3 months.

The 12 or 24 month period starts and drops off on the payment of the first fine but the date of the last offence will trigger the problem, so if it takes 2 months to pay the first fine the period will actually be 14 months and 26 months.

It always feels as though getting a demerit is caused by a perfect storm of bad luck; you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, while the police are feeling overzealous and are out trying to catch up on their revenue collecting.

But at the end of the day, you know if you are caught speeding that you have no-one to blame but yourself.

Slow down over Christmas, stay off the phone while driving, and keep the belt on for all the right reasons and also because to be walking or taking the bus or depending on family to get around for 3 to 6 months will be no fun.

Yes, you may be eligible for a limited licence, but that will add another $1,500 to the pain.

It's an oldie but a goody, even in the metric age – An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Drive Safe.