Getting the best out of a Demerit Point System (BestPoint project handbook)

Various kinds of Demerit Point Systems (DPS) have been developed and implemented in European countries, aimed at tackling repeat offences in road transport by acting as a deterrent and providing sanctioning. The impact of a DPS on the number of crashes is often reported to be significant but temporary. In this context the objective of the EU project BestPoint was to establish a set of recommended practices that would result in a more effective and sustainable contribution of DPS’s to road safety.

The BestPoint Handbook provides a concise overview of these recommended practices and is the final result of the BestPoint project. It is based on evaluation studies, psychological and learning theories, expert experiences and considerations, and information about current practices.

BestPoint was co-funded by DG MOVE of the European Commission. The duration of the project was 2 years, culminating in September 2012.

The project was coordinated by the Austrian Road Safety Board (KFV) in collaboration with 11 European research institutes and transport authorities: BASt (Germany), CDV (Czech Republic), CERTH (Hellas), DTU (Denmark), ETSC (EU), IFSTTAR (France), ITS (Poland), Malta Transport Authority, RSA (Ireland), SWOV (The Netherlands), VTT (Finland).