One of the questions a traffic lawyer will be asked in the early days of the life of a traffic matter is, “Do I need to do a traffic offenders course before court?”. This is a question, that inevitably shares an answer those who’ve had to engage a lawyer have heard before……it depends. If you have come across this article, you likely have been charged with a drink or drug driving offence and have been advised by a lawyer or friend to do a program. We have written extensively about drink and drug driving offences on our website if you…

If you are charged with high range drink driving in Queensland, you may be wondering if you will be able to get a work licence? Understanding high range drink driving High range drink driving refers to operating a motor vehicle or being in charge of a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.15 or higher. This offence carries substantial penalties due to the increased risk posed to the driver, other road users, and the community as a whole. The consequences can include hefty fines, and lengthy periods of licence disqualification. In Queensland courts the term DUI is…

Drug driving charge continues to increase in Queensland largely due to more police testing the introduction of testing for cocaine. If this is your second or more drug driving offence then you will face increase penalties and in some cases the inability to apply for a work licence. In this blog post we will look at the penalties for a second drug driving charge and whether any defence exists. What drugs are tested for? Driving while a ‘relevant’ drug is present in your blood or saliva is an offence under the traffic legislation. For present purposes we will consider a…

Queensland has become the one of the first states in Australia to introduce roadside testing for cocaine. The new testing program, which began on 7 July 2023, uses saliva swabs to detect the presence of cocaine in drivers' systems. Introduction The introduction of cocaine testing in Queensland is a response to the growing problem of drug-driving in the state. In 2022, there were 61 people killed in crashes involving a drug-driver or rider in Queensland. This was an increase of 20% from the previous year. The new testing program is intended to help to reduce the number of drug-driving deaths…

As a traffic lawyer providing legal services to individuals charged with drink driving offences in Queensland, I have witnessed the significant impact that exceeding the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits have in our legal system. In this blog post, we will explore the history of setting the BAC limits for drink driving in Queensland and provide an overview of the current alcohol driving limits in place. History of BAC Limits in Queensland The establishment of BAC limits in Queensland has evolved over the years in response to growing concerns about road safety and the dangers posed by intoxicated drivers. The…

So, you have filed your application for a special hardship licence, you have a court date and all of your material has been filed with Queensland Transport and Main Roads (TMR), you think you're ready and then you get a letter from TMR saying they are going to oppose your application. What do you do now? What is a special hardship application? Let's first look at who can apply for a special hardship application. Special hardship applications are only for people who are in one of two situations: You have exceeded 1 demerit point while on a good driving behaviour…

Most people would be aware that a drink driving offence in Queensland requires the court to disqualify a person's drivers licence for a certain amount of time and will in almost all cases impose a fine. Queensland does provide some people with the ability to apply for a work licence which would lessen the impact of that disqualification by still allowing the person to drive for work purposes but doesn’t apply to all people and cannot allow a person to drive for personal reasons. However where a person has a previous drink driving charge this can cause both an increase…