If you have been convicted of a mid range or high range drink driving offence (or 2 low range drink driving charges in 5 years) in Queensland, you will be required to install an alcohol interlock in your vehicle. However, there are some legal exemptions to this requirement. The following are the legal exemptions to installing an interlock after a drink driving offence in Queensland: You live in a remote location. You live on an island. You have a medical condition that prevents you from providing a breath sample. Your family will experience severe hardship if you are not granted…

If you have been charged with a traffic offence in Queensland, you may be tempted to represent yourself in court and save money on legal fees. You may have taken advice from friends or family who think they know how the Queensland court deal with charges like drink driving, drug driving, unlicensed driving etc who tell you its easy just go to court and say sorry to the magistrate and you will be fine. However, this is a risky decision that could have serious consequences for your future. Here are some reasons why you should never represent yourself in court…

You may hear friends, family or the general public use the terms disqualified and suspended interchangeably when referring to their driver licence. For the most part, the underlying principle is the same – a person’s authority to drive a motor vehicle has been taken away from the person. This definition for everyday use is completely serviceable. However, there are some key differences which need to be understood as they are at law, two different concepts. Suspended. When a person’s licence has been suspended, that means that their authority to drive a vehicle has been temporarily withdrawn. This can occur for…

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…