Many countries have adopted a penalty point or demerit point system under which a person’s driving license is cancelled or suspended based on the number of points accumulated by them over a period of time because of the traffic offenses or infringements committed by them in that period. The demerit points schemes of each jurisdiction varies. These demerit schemes are usually in addition to fines or other penalties which may be imposed for a particular offence or infringement, or after a prescribed number of points have been accumulated. Under these schemes, a driver licensing authority, police force, or other organization keeps a record of the demerit points accumulated by drivers. When the prescribed point threshold is reached, the person’s licence would usually be automatically cancelled or suspended. Points may either be added or subtracted, depending on the rules of each scheme. A major offence may lead to more than the maximum allowed points being issued. Points are typically applied after a driving offence has been committed, and the licence cancelled a defined time, or after other conditions are met. If the total exceeds the threshold, the offender may be disqualified from driving for a time, or the driving licence may be revoked. After the licence suspension period has expired, the previous demerit points are cancelled. The primary purpose of such point systems is to identify, deter, and penalize repeat traffic offenders, while streamlining the legal process. Description This article discusses point systems in the abstract and treats points as demerits; in some jurisdictions, points may instead be measures of merit which are subtracted when a traffic offense is committed. In jurisdictions which use a point system, the police or licensing authorities maintain a record of the demerit points accumulated by each driver. Traffic offenses, such as speeding or disobeying traffic signals, are each assigned a certain number of points, and when a driver is determined to be guilty of a particular offence, the corresponding number of points are added to the driver's total. When the driver's total exceeds the prescribed threshold, the driver may face additional penalties, be required to attend safety classes or driver training, be subject to re-examination, or lose his/her driving privileges. The threshold(s) to determine additional penalties may vary based on the driver's experience level, prior driving record, age, educational level attained, and other factors. In particular, it is common to set a lower threshold for