Previously, drivers who were worried about their demerit points balance had to contact the NZ Transport Agency by phone to find out, often with extremely long wait times due to insufficient resources to handle the high volume of calls.
An official NZTA partner, Demerit Check is authorised to communicate with the government agency and submit DSH requests on their clients’ behalf. This service can be performed for any driver holding any class of driver’s licence. The problem is, when your driver’s licence is suspended – all of your classes are suspended.
“In New Zealand, drivers who accumulate 100 demerit points in any two-year period get their licence suspended for three months, and many don’t know it’s coming,” says operations manager Caitlyn Cambridge. “With Demerit Check, you simply fill out an online form and we send you a written summary of your points. The whole submission takes about 15 seconds.”
In May 2020, the number of demerit points issued by New Zealand police reached an all-time high nationwide, with the biggest increases seen in Auckland, where police have been patrolling more actively due to COVID. Demerit points earned by male drivers in Auckland increased by 40 percent while among female drivers, the figure was 34 percent. These statistics were drawn from data obtained by Demerit Check through an Official Information Act request submitted to the NZTA.
“This surge in numbers further strains NZTA’s capacity to cope,” says Cambridge. “By using Demerit Check, anyone who wants to know what their demerit suspension history is can do so easily and quickly without having to wait on the phone. Or get a nasty surprise visit from the police! In many cases, they show up at your house first thing on a Sunday morning, to catch you when you’re home. The aim of our service is to save people time, hassle, and worry.”
About Demerit Check
Demerit Check is an Auckland-based service that helps drivers all over New Zealand find out how many demerit points they have, when they got them, and what offence(s) they were for. Founded in 2020, the company was born out of a desire to help people manage their work-life balance, a growing need in the age of the pandemic. By moving this administrative task online, like so many other aspects of modern life, we keep our customers informed of their points status while freeing them to spend their time on the things that matter to them.
Media Release on 21 December 2020
Media Contact
Caitlyn Cambridge, Demerit Check
Email: findout@demeritcheck.co.nz
Phone: 0800 437 005
Website: https://www.demeritcheck.co.nz/
Online Press Release Service for New Zealand