I totally accept there needs to be consequences for breaking the law. Without punishment, it’s difficult (but not impossible), to achieve broad compliance with laws, so coping a fine for a traffic violation is probably fair.
But should you be fined over and over again, and not even by the government?
I picked up a few demerit points a few years ago, which I recently got back – and my Compulsory Third Party Insurance premiums just fell my over $100 each, because I’m now ‘A good driver with no demerit points’.
Basically, because I own multiple vehicles, picking up one demerit point will cost me over $1000 in increased compulsory insurance premiums over the following three years.
I can’t operate more than one of my four vehicles at a time (I’m not counting the trailer) and it doesn’t matter how many points someone I loan a vehicle to, they will still be covered by the CTP insurance policy.
I’m guessing the justification for this is some statistics that show people with demerit points have more crashes and therefore more claims – which makes them a higher risk to insure, hence the higher premiums.
They might also do more miles, which puts them at higher risk of getting busted, too.
Road Safety is a vexed issue, but effectively fining people over and over again for the same offence isn’t the answer.