Disqualifying licences

The Advertiser: CATCH US IF YOU CAN :

"The motorists have been exploiting a legal loophole which prevents police from prosecuting them when their licences have been disqualified for non-payment of fines or accrued demerit points.

At present, offenders are notified of their disqualification by mail. But in a growing number of cases they are telling police they have never received the letter, which leaves authorities powerless to prosecute without further proof."

That people exploit the loophole should not come as a surprise. No matter what the rules and regulations are, as soon as there is a rule then someone will find a way for it to be twisted and misinterpreted. In this day and age of amoral behaviour, why is it viewed as a problem? It should be viewed as what we have come to expect. In other cases, ignorance of the law is not deemed to be an excuse. Not ever. If you don't know the speed limits of a particular section of road, you will still get the expiation notice. If you steal from shops, you cannot say you didn't see the sign. Seriously, there are some things you just expect because you are a member of that society and the rules have been made public. We know about the demerit points and we know about the non payment of fines. I guess publishing names in the paper or on the Net would cut across our privacy laws? I think the onus has to be on the driver as with speeding and all the other road rules to know what the state of play is and then give the driver a way of verifying this at the police station, on the Net or wherever should the said letter not arrive. I do not see the police or the Govt as guilty of anything. Like anything else, we have an expectation. If I do not send in my tax return by the known dates I have to find out the known dates for myself if I have forgotten. Keep the onus on the driver.