A high range drink driving is one of the most serious charges a person who has likely never been to court in Queensland can commit. There are three different levels of drink driving for a Queensland open licence driver: Low Range .05-.099 Mid Range .1-.149 High Range .15 and above If you are charged with a high range drink driving charge in Queensland (also known as DUI or UIL) the mandatory minimum disqualification, for a first time offender, is 6 months and the court can impose a disqualification of anything up to an absolute disqualification. Obviously your penalty will vary…

We often get calls from people needing a special hardship licence for work purposes who also desire to be able to drive their children to school or other activities under that hardship licence. First a bit of background, a special hardship licence or special hardship order is a licence that may be available to people who exceed their demerit points, elect to go on a 12 month good driving behaviour period and then during that period incur further demerit points. In those circumstances unless a person applies for a special hardship licence then they will have their licence suspended for…

A QP9 (Queensland Police Form 9 or police court brief) is a document prepared by the Police Prosecutions unit when someone is charged with an offence. The QP9 lists the exact charge with a brief description of the facts which the Police are alleging against you as well as attaching any criminal or traffic history. Depending on what Court your matter is to be heard in, and how busy the Police are, the document will be provided prior to your Court date or at Court. It is essential to carefully go over the QP9 prior to entering a plea before…

Driving laws in Queensland are designed to keep everyone on the road safe. However, not all driving offences are created equal. Knowing the difference between careless driving and dangerous driving can help you understand the potential consequences you might face and how to respond if you are charged. Careless Driving in Queensland Definition and Legal Implications Careless driving, also known as driving without due care and attention, is considered a traffic offence. It occurs when a driver fails to exercise the necessary care or attention while operating a vehicle. Though it's not a criminal offence, it can still result in…

The penalties handed down for unlicenced driving charges can vary greatly depending on the circumstances on how you came to be unlicenced in the first place. If you forgot to renew your licence or you have never held a licence The penalty for this type of unlicenced driving charge is at the Magistrates discretion and in most circumstances, depending how long your licence had been expired or your traffic history, can result in no suspension being put on your licence and you just receiving a small fine. There are however circumstances where if you were never licenced that the court…

When most people hear DUI they usually associate it with a drink driving charge. Whilst this is correct, as DUI stands for ‘driving under the influence’ it can in fact relate to either a drink or drug driving offence.   There are three levels of drink driving charges, being   Driving with a low BAC (blood alcohol concentrate) reading of between .05 and .099. This charge carries a mandatory minimum of a 1 month suspension of your licence (for an open licence holder).   Driving with a mid BAC (blood alcohol concentrate) reading of between .1 and .149. This charge…

In Queensland police are increasingly undertaking drug driving tests in conjunction with normal drink driving RBT units. Police officers who are able to conduct the drug testing need to be specially trained in the use of saliva testing equipment and testing procedures. The number of Police that are now qualified to conduct the drug tests has increased dramatically in the last few years as well as the addition of 13 specially built drug testing vehicle to Queensland roads. There is going to be an increasing amount of drug driving charges. For example the amount of drug driving tests for the…