<\/p>\n
\nDame Kerry Prendergast had her licence returned last week, with a remaining 60 demerits on it.
\nPhoto: 123RF\n<\/p>\n
A former Wellington mayor has admitted to having her driving licence suspended after getting caught speeding five times.<\/p>\n
Dame Kerry Prendergast told Nick Mills, the host of Wellington Mornings on Newstalk ZB live on air that she had lost her licence for three months before Christmas.<\/p>\n
Prendergast admitted it while discussing whether speeding fines should be raised to reduce road deaths.<\/p>\n
She told RNZ that she was “shocked” when her licence was suspended as she had not noticed the demerit points adding up over two years,<\/p>\n
“Suddenly, you get a letter and you’re not allowed to drive,” she said,<\/p>\n
NZTA suspends licences after 100 demerits are accumulated in a two-year period.<\/p>\n
Prendergast had her licence returned last week, with a remaining 60 demerits on it, as the points gradually taper off.<\/p>\n
“I’ve learnt my lesson and I won’t be speeding because I cannot go through the trauma of losing my licence again,” Dame Kerry said.<\/p>\n
She said she struggled with the loss of independence and was upset with herself for speeding.<\/p>\n
She had to rely on her husband to get around and walked a lot while she was not allowed to drive.<\/p>\n
Her grandchildren were “shocked to find that their grandmother had been caught speeding not just once but five times”.<\/p>\n
“They didn’t think it was funny at all.”<\/p>\n