Clarity Law

Specialist Traffic Law Firm Queensland
Tuesday, 06 September 2016 17:49

What is the difference between careless driving and dangerous driving?

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Whist careless driving (also known as driving with undue care and attention) and dangerous driving charges can result from similar circumstances this is not the case with the penalties with the potential penalty for dangerous driving being much more serious. Both charges can be accompanied with a drink or drug driving charge if the driver tests positive.

 

Careless driving is the less serious of the two charges as it is traffic charge, not a criminal charge, although it can still be punishable with a jail sentence. Depending on circumstances it is possible to obtain a result of no disqualification being put on your licence, although it does carry a mandatory loss of 3 demerit points if you plead guilty or are deemed to be guilty. Should you be on a good driving behaviour period and the 3 point loss will breach it you may be eligible for a special hardship licence – for more information see our website - http://drivinglaw.com.au/hardship-licences.html

 

Careless driving charges can come about from an incident as minor as skidding in the wet and your car hitting a gutter or a tree or having a collision due to being distracted by the radio or attending to an item they may have dropped.  Careless driving can also include accidents with pedestrians or other road users resulting in injuries to those people.  Drivers charged with this are believed to have been not paying enough attention to the road, not actually driving what is deemed to be 'dangerous'.  

 

Dangerous driving is the higher of the two charges and is in fact one of the few traffic related charge which is a criminal charge.

 

Dangerous driving charges occur when a driver was deemed to have driver a motor vehicle dangerously.  In deciding whether the driving was dangerous the court looks at the speed the vehicle was driven and whether the driving was dangerous to the public having regard to all the circumstances including:

 

(a)   the nature, condition and use of the place; and

(b)   the nature and condition of the vehicle; and

(c)    the number of persons, vehicles or other objects that are, or might reasonably be expected to be, in the place; and

(d)   the concentration of alcohol in the drivers blood; and

(e)   the presence of any other substance in the drivers body.

 

It is always a good idea to seek legal advice if you are charged with either careless driving but especially so for a dangerous driving charge.

 

Depending on the circumstances of a dangerous driving charge, witnesses, damage etc it can be possible to case conference/ put submissions to the Police Prosecutions to have the charge lowered to careless driving if there are reasonable grounds. This is assessed by obtaining the police court brief.

 

For more information see our website  - www.drivinglaw.com.au/dangerous-driving.html

 

Here at Clarity Law we represent driving charges in Courts across South East Queensland every day, it is this experience, and our expertise that allows us to get the absolute best result for clients.  Other law firms simply don’t have the experience that we do and don’t know the process and the Magistrates like we do.  We also offer the most competitive prices in Queensland that are all fixed fee so there are no nasty surprises when you receive your invoice.  If you want to engage us or just need further information or advice then call 1300 952 255 7am – 7pm seven days a week

 

Disclaimer:

The information provided is for informational use only, and are in no way intended to constitute legal advice or to create a lawyer-client relationship, and you should not act or rely upon any information appearing in this article without seeking the advice of a lawyer. Moreover, because the law is constantly changing, the information appearing in this article are not guaranteed to be correct, complete, or up-to-date.  Steven and Clarity law only undertake matters in Queensland.

 

Clarity Law's liability limited by a scheme approved under professional standards legislation.

 

 

Last modified on Tuesday, 06 September 2016 17:59
Steven Brough

Steven Brough is the Founder of Clarity Law.  He is one of the most experienced traffic lawyers in Queensland having appeared in court many thousands of time throughout Queensland since 2010.  He has authored over 100 articles about every aspect of traffic law in Queensland.

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