In most cases, scoring points is a good thing. The demerit points that are added to your driving record when you are convicted of certain driving offences, however, are a notable exception. While rules vary between provinces, accumulating a threshold of demerit points can result in the suspension of your driver’s license. Here are the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about demerit points and how they’re treated across Canada.
What are demerit points?
The demerit point system consists of penalty points that are added to your driving record when you are convicted of certain offences, from speeding to failing to remain at the scene of a
How do demerit points work?
The details vary between provinces, but the general idea is the same wherever you are in Canada. If you’re convicted of a traffic offence – from minor infractions like forgetting to turn off your high beams to major ones like failing to stop for a school bus—you might have demerit points added to your driving record. In most places, they will remain on your record for two years. Collect enough demerit points, and your license can be suspended for upwards of 60 days. How many demerit points you can have depends on your jurisdiction, the type of license you have, and in some cases, your age.
Alberta
Demerit points in Alberta are assigned for traffic violations and applied to your driving record on your conviction date. Following a conviction, demerit points stay on your driving record for two years.
Examples:
• Speeding up to 15 km/hr over the speed limit = 2 points
• Failing to yield the right of way to a pedestrian in a crosswalk = 4 points
• Failing to remain at the scene of an accident = 7 points
If you receive 15 or more demerit points within a two-year period, your driver's licence will be automatically suspended for one month. Subsequent suspensions can last up to six months and require a review by the Registrar of Motor Vehicle Services.
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British Columbia
As in other provinces, when you get a ticket for a driving offence, you’ll typically get driver penalty points (as demerit points are referred to in British Columbia) added to your driver’s record. If you get more than three points over a year, however, The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) will charge an extra fee called a “penalty point premium” in addition to the cost of the fine. Points stay on your driver’s record for five years.
Examples:
• No signal on turn = 2 points
• Speed in a school zone = 3 points
• Emailing or texting while driving = 4 points
If you rack up nine to 11 points, ICBC can suspend your license. If, however, ICBC identifies a dangerous pattern of conduct, it can suspend your license before you reach that threshold.
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Manitoba
The demerit point system in Manitoba is administered by Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI), which links demerit points to your insurance premiums. Under the province’s Driver Safety Rating (DSR) system, drivers with more demerit points pay higher premiums and drivers with fewer demerits get discounted rates.
Examples:
• Failing to give the right of way to an emergency vehicle = 2 points
• Using a prohibited hand-operated electronic device while driving = 5 points (plus a three-day licence suspension)
• Speeding 50 km/h or more over the speed limit = 10 points
Each year of safe driving without any driving convictions can move you one level up the scale to a maximum of +19. For those with high-risk driving convictions at the lowest tier of the DRS scale (-20), a year of safe driving can move you up seven levels.
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New Brunswick
Demerit points in New Brunswick are issued for traffic convictions, with more points given for serious offences.
Examples:
• Unlawful parking in a zone reserved for the disabled = 2 points
• Speeding more than 25 km over the speed limit = 5 points
• Failure to report a collision = 5 points
If you accumulate 10 points within two years, your license will be automatically suspended for three months. Demerits remain on your driving record for two years.
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Newfoundland & Labrador
If you're convicted of a moving violation in Newfoundland & Labrador, a predetermined number of demerit points are added to your driving record.
Examples:
• Failure to stop at a stop sign = 2 points
• Passing on the left when unsafe = 3 points
• Operating or permitting the operation of a motor vehicle without an insurance policy = 6 points
Drivers who accrue 12 points within two years will have their licences suspended for two months. To mitigate this, Newfoundland & Labrador allows eligible drivers to complete a point reduction course that removes up to four points from their record.
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Nova Scotia
Demerit points in Nova Scotia follow a similar system to other provinces in Eastern Canada. Points are added to a driver’s record for driving convictions, with more serious offences allocated higher points. Demerit points remain on a driver’s record for two years.
Examples:
• Operating a motor vehicle without adequate brakes = 2 points
• Using a cell phone while operating a vehicle = 4 points
• Speeding or dangerous driving = 6 points
Drivers who reach six points must interview with a Driver Enhancement Officer and retake a driving test. Drivers who reach 10 points receive an automatic six-month license suspension. Drivers can have up to four points deducted from their record if they complete a defensive driving course.
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Ontario
Demerit points in Ontario follow a similar structure to other provinces, with points added to a driver’s record for convictions. Demerit points stay on your record for two years from the offence date and are transferable from other provinces as well as several American states.
Examples:
• Driver failing to wear a seat belt = 2 points
• Following too closely = 4 points
• Failing to stop when signalled or asked by a police officer = 7 points
For fully licensed drivers in Ontario, 15 demerit points will result in a 30-day suspension. If a license is reinstated following a suspension, drivers will start again with seven demerits on their license. Reach the 15-point threshold again, and your license could be suspended for six additional months.
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Prince Edward Island
As in neighbouring Atlantic provinces, the demerit point system on PEI applies points based on traffic violations.
Examples:
• Failing to yield the right of way = 3 points
• Driving 60 or more kilometres per hour over the posted maximum speed limit = 9 points
• Dangerous driving = 12 points
Drivers who reach the maximum of 12 points over two years will have their licenses automatically suspended for up to three months. When a driver reaches 11 demerit points, they may qualify for three merit points and avoid a possible suspension by completing a Canada Safety Council defensive driving course.
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Quebec
In Quebec, the demerit point system is tiered based on the type of licence and the driver's age. Points for excessive speeding are particularly severe and can exceed the maximum threshold for a license suspension.
Examples:
• Driving too fast for weather, road and traffic conditions = 2 points
• Driving while using a portable electronic device or a display screen = 5 points
• Driving for a wager or stake or in a race = 12 points
Reaching 15 points over two years will result in a minimum three-month suspension, but longer penalty periods are possible depending on the offence and whether you’ve had a prior suspension. At the end of your penalty period, you may have to take a reinstatement knowledge test.
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Saskatchewan
As in Manitoba, the demerit point system in Saskatchewan uses a sliding scale, with points and insurance discounts added for each year of infraction-free driving, and points subtracted for motor vehicle offences. Drivers must also pay an additional fee on top of the fines issued by law enforcement for each point subtracted.
Examples:
• Failing to properly display a registration permit = 1 point
• Driving while holding, using, viewing or manipulating electronic communications equipment = 4 points
• Failing to yield to an emergency vehicle = 4 points
When you’re responsible for one of these incidents, you’ll receive demerit points as well as a $50 fee for every point below zero you reach (so -3 = $150, and -5 = $250). If you maintain a clean driving record for three years, you’ll automatically be moved back up to zero.
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Are demerit points transferable between Canadian provinces or US states?
It depends on where the offence occurred and where you live. If you are convicted of a demerit offence in Ontario, those points will carry over to a license issued in any province except B.C. or Nunavut. Likewise, if you are convicted of a demerit offence in an exempt province, the points will not be applied to your Ontario license. Quebec and Ontario, however, do have a reciprocal agreement for speeding convictions. If you’re planning to
Will demerit points cause my insurance rates to go up?
It depends. Demerit points themselves don’t affect your
How to check your demerit points
If you’re wondering how many demerit points you have, the easiest way is to request a copy of your driving record from your province. For example, Service Ontario’s website offers an uncertified 3-year driver record for a small fee online, and Quebec offers a similar service from the SAAQ. Here’s how to request your driving record online:
1. Find your driver’s license number
2. Navigate to your province’s motor vehicles website
3. Enter your information and payment info as needed
Knowledge is safety
Demerit point systems are different in every province, but they all share the same purpose: to discourage unsafe driving practices and create safer roads for Canadians. In addition to better understanding motor vehicle laws in your province, learning about demerit pointss serves as an important reminder to slow down, buckle up, and keep your devices safely docked while on the road – and if that’s not motivation enough, be sure to check out
Jeremy Freed is a freelance writer and editor based in Toronto. His writing about fashion, travel, food and design appears in Sharp, Harry and re:Porter magazines, among many others.