You have been given a Notice to Appear at court for a traffic offence. You must show up to court on the date specified in the Notice to Appear. The question is, what happens on the first court date? In this post, we will outline the options you have for dealing with your matter. In short, you have three options: seek an adjournment, plead not guilty, or plead guilty. We will discuss each of these options in turn.   Option #1 – Ask for an Adjournment You are not obliged to enter a plea (of either guilty or not…

If your licence is disqualified by a Queensland Court for a period in excess of 2 years or is disqualified absolutely you are able to apply for your licence to be reinstated after you have served a minimum of 2 years of the disqualification period. Under no circumstances can you apply for your licence to be reinstated before you have served at least 2 years of that disqualification. The application is made by applying to the Court closest to where you currently reside for them to reinstate your licence. If your disqualification was in the Magistrates Court then the application…

In this post, we discuss five of the most common drink-driving myths in Queensland and explain why they are exactly that – myths. As a law firm that focus soleoy on traffic law, we frequently represent people who believed that these myths would keep them safe from drink-driving charges. Sadly, part of our job is to explain why this is not the case. We write this in the hope that you will not be the next person caught by these fables. Myth #1 – You Cannot be Charged with Drink-Driving in Your Driveway There are lots of reasons why this…

We are often contacted by Queensland drivers wondering what their options are when they receive notice that they have exceeded their allowable demerit points.  In Queensland all drivers start with zero points and if an offence is committed anywhere in Australia and that offence carries demerit points as part of the punishment then those demerit points are added to the drivers traffic record.   When do demerit points start from? Demerit points apply from the date you commit an offence. They are recorded on your traffic history when any of the following has occurred: the fine has been paid or…

Driving unlicensed is one of most common reasons that people are required to attend a Queensland court. There is a wide variety of unlicensed driving charges and consequently a wide variety of potential penalties. This guide seeks to give you an understanding of a charge of unlicensed driving and the penalty the court may impose. This guide is in relation to Queensland law only.   What is unlicensed driving In essence unlicensed driving is where a person has driven on the road and at the time they did not hold a licence. The law states that a person can be…

We are seeing an increasing amount of people charged with drink driving on lime scooters and other electric devices on Queensland roads and being required to appear in court. Rules Relating to Lime Scooters Lime scooters (and other “rideables”) are permitted to be used in Queensland subject to strict rules. In broad terms, you must be at least 16 years old (or 12 years old, with adult supervision), wear a helmet, not carry passengers, you must not use your mobile phone, drive on footpaths, and avoid driving on roads as much as possible. You may drive on roads if you…

Introduction A work licence (also known as a restricted licence, section 87 licence or day licence) is a special type of licence that may be issued by the court to persons convicted of a low or mid-range range drink driving charge (a BAC reading under .15) or certain drug driving charges in Queensland.   A work licence replaces your normal Queensland drivers licence for the period of the disqualification imposed by the court. A work licence can only be used for work purposes; you cannot use a work licence to drive to the shops or dropping kids off at school. A…