Motorist fined $4000 for dodgy driver's license tactic
A prominent Sydney lawyer has warned Aussie drivers against falsely nominating someone to take on their demerit points after one of his clients was fined $4000 for the illegal act.
Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Sydney lawyer Avinash Singh said that there has been a significant spike in the practice in recent months.
"In 2024, Transport for NSW (TfNSW) commenced a crackdown on false nominations of drivers," he told Yahoo.
"There has been a widespread trend of people agreeing to take demerit points for other drivers.
"The person nominated will usually charge a fee to take the demerit points. Often they are on international licences and may not even be in the country."
He then explained the case of one of his clients who was issued a $4,000 fine for trying to offload their demerit points.
"The reason the fine was so expensive was because the vehicle was registered as a company vehicle and the company had a record of previous offences," he explained.
"As such, it was subject to the penalties for a corporation, which are significantly greater than that of an individual ($1,500)."
He said the matter was listed at court where the $4,000 fine "could have been increased to $22,000".
Singh managed to fight the fine on behalf of the driver, but warned that authorities are increasing their surveillance on this illegal act and have urged Aussies to remain vigilant.
The tactic has gained popularity over the past few years, with the illegal service often being advertised on social media and the price of one demerit point going for anywhere between $30-$150.
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