Illegal disabled parking – NSW adds licence demerit points to existing fines

New South Wales has just toughened up its laws on disabled parking infringements with the announcement that offenders will now not only be fined, but also receive license demerit points.

The new penalties are aimed at reducing the tendency of drivers to illegally park in disabled zones. According to NSW Minister for Roads and Freight Duncan Gay, the inflicting of fines has proven insufficient in deterring some drivers. “Clearly, hitting their back pocket doesn’t stop this behaviour so I’ll hit them where it really hurts, their licence,” he said.

“These people selfishly deny vulnerable members of our community close access to buildings and sufficient room to get in and out of their vehicles.

“Anyone caught parking in a disabled car park without holding a valid mobility parking sticker will not only get a $519 fine – the highest fine for this offence in the country – they’ll also receive a demerit point penalty.

“Drivers who think about parking illegally in disabled car parks need to know the demerit point penalty can contribute towards licence suspension and also make drivers ineligible for discounted driver’s licence renewal fees and reduced insurance premiums,” Mr. Gay continued.

Other states recognise the problem too, although the focus generally is on the imposition of higher fines.

In Western Australia, for instance, penalties for illegal parking in a disabled spot were doubled recently, with court-imposed fines increasing from $1000 to $2000 and on the spot fines going up from $120 to $300.

Local government minister Tony Simpson said illegal parking in disabled zones is often a result of ignorance. “Motorists need to be aware that parking in a bay reserved for a disabled permit holder – even if it’s for just a couple of minutes – is an offence,” he said.

“The increase in fines will be a deterrent to those who think that illegal parking is not a serious matter,” Mr Simpson continued.

And in Queensland, the government recently upped the fines for illegal parking in disabled bays by as much as five times. Police-issued fines were bumped from $44 to $220 to bring the state fine structure into line with some regional councils already imposing higher penalties.