Foreign diplomats ignore Aussie road rules

They've been speeding, running red lights and give-way signs, drink-driving and driving without seatbelts around the Australian capital - but diplomatic immunity means they cannot be prosecuted or even lose their licence.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has sent dozens of letters to embassies over the past three years asking them to keep the worst repeat offenders in line.

But there's no way to tell which countries are to blame because names have been stripped from the letters, which have been released on DFAT's website under Freedom of Information (FOI) laws.

One female diplomat managed to rack up 11 speeding offences in 15 months. But despite incurring 15 demerit points and DFAT warning her behaviour was "quite unacceptable", she was allowed to keep driving.

A male diplomat also managed to get 15 demerits - 13 of which related to serious speeding offences - in less than two years.

Another offender managed 14 demerit points in just 10 months.

"Were it not for his diplomatic status, his ACT's driver licence would have been suspended for three months," DFAT's chief protocol officer said in a letter to the relevant embassy in March 2010.

Another offender clocked up 12 demerit points in 18 months.

"Eight traffic offences in an 18-month period is unsatisfactory and suggests a worrying disregard for public safety," DFAT warned.

One senior diplomat racked up four offences, including two for speeding, one for failing to give way and one for running a red light. DFAT said they would expect a senior officer to set a better example.

One offender was clocked doing more than 45km/h over the limit in May last year.

Other letters relate to specific incidents but most of the details have been redacted.

In late 2010 one embassy had to be reminded of the "dangerous repercussions of driving whilst under the influence of alcohol" after an incident on Canberra's Commonwealth Bridge.

AAP