Alberta has a demerit point system where demerit points are accumulated against your driver’s licence if you are convicted of certain traffic offences. Demerit points are assigned to a client’s driving record in accordance with the Traffic Safety Act, the Demerit Point Program and Service of Documents Regulation. If you accumulate or receive too many demerit points you can lose your licence and your insurance premiums may increase.
For fully (non-GDL) licensed drivers (Class 5 drivers), automatic suspensions are issued as follows:
Where a suspension ends, your license will be reinstated with 7 demerit points that will remain on your driving record for 2 years following reinstatement.
For graduated driver’s license drivers, automatic suspensions are issued as follows:
Where a suspension ends, your license will be reinstated with 3 demerit points that will remain on your driving record for 2 years following reinstatement.
The Alberta Transportation Safety Board may suspend your licence if they consider you have a poor driving record based on the number of demerit points you have accumulated, for however long they see fit, including indefinitely. Prior to the suspension of your licence, you will receive at least 10-day written notice of the hearing. You may attend the hearing to give your statement with or without the presence of a lawyer. Among other things, the Board will consider your driving record from the last 10 years, your attitude toward driving, your driving skills and disabilities, and written comments from relevant sources, when making their final decision.
If a Suspension Order is issued, there may be conditions that must be completed before the licence will be given back. There is also a fee that must be paid before the licence is returned. There is no appeal against a suspension of your driver’s licence for accumulating too many demerit points, unless you can prove the demerit points were issued in error.
Demerit points will begin to accumulate on your licence from the date of conviction and will remain on your driving record for 2 years from the date of conviction. The date of conviction is the date in which you pay the fine or are found guilty/guilty in absence, not the date on which you received the fine.
Some common traffic offences carry the following number of demerit points:
7 Points
You will receive 7 demerit points for:
6 Points
You will receive 6 demerit points for:
5 Points
You will receive 5 demerit points for:
4 Points
You will receive 4 demerit points for:
3 Points
You will receive 3 demerit points for:
2 Points
You will receive 2 demerit points for:
To see all associated demerit points to certain traffic offences, refer to Schedules 1 and 2 of the Demerit Point Program and Service of Documents Regulation.
You may find out how many demerit points you have against your licence at any Alberta Registry. There is a fee to obtain a driver’s abstract. You may take an approved defensive driving course before you reach 15 demerit points on your licence which will result in 3 points being taken off your licence. This can only be done once every 2 years. Your license will be reinstated when your demerit points are down to only 7 demerit points.
If you want more information regarding demerit points levied against your licence for specific offences, contact an Alberta Registry at 780-427-7013 or toll free at 310-0000 if you do not live in the Edmonton area.