Being charged with a traffic offence can be extremely nerve-wracking. Add to that the the daunting task of appearing in court and having to explain why the offence was committed, and the whole experience can become overwhelming. You may face being punished by the Courts for such offences and these may have lifelong consequences, go good representation is very important.
Many traffic offences result in a licence being disqualified. For some people this is merely an inconvenience, however for many people losing a licence can also mean the loss of their job and significant ramifications for your family. In serious cases traffic offences can lead to time in prison.
At Access Legal NQ we highly recommend that you contact an experienced traffic lawyer if you have been charged with a serious traffic offence. Your employment and even independence could depend on it. A good lawyer will assist you and handle your matter, reducing the stress involved in attending Court and they will speak on your behalf. They will guide you through the process and detail what your options are and try to mitigate any penalty that the Court may impose on you so.
If you want the best representation for your case Access Legal NQ.
Drink Driving (motor vehicles)
What is the offence?
It is an offence in Queensland to drive a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration (“BAC”) in excess of the permitted concentration levels. The concentration level will always depend on the class of licence the driver is licenced to hold.For example an open licence holder is legitimately allowed to drive with a BAC below 0.05% while all other licence holders must have a nil alcohol concentration (0.00%). A driver who holds a valid current restricted licence must have a nil alcohol concentration, despite the fact the licence is an open restricted licence.A person can also be charged with drink driving even if they were just ‘in charge’ of the vehicle while over the relevant BAC level. An example of this is where a driver decides to sleep in their car until they are able to drive again.
What is the penalty?
The penalty for a drink driving offences will depend on the seriousness of the offence, and in particular the alcohol concentration reading. The low end of the scale a driver convicted of a drink driving offence could receive one month disqualification from driving and will receive a fine. The other end of the scale a driver convicted of a drink driving offence such as a repeat drink driving offender could be sentence to a term of imprisonment.
Work (restricted) Licence
What is a work licence?
A conviction for a drink driving (DUI) offence within Queensland has an automatic mandatory disqualification of licence for a period of at least one month. Losing a driver’s licence can cause many people all sorts of difficulty’s including financial hardship as they need their licence for their job.If this is the case the person may be eligible to apply for a ‘restricted licence’, also known as a ‘work licence’. This licence permits people to drive for work purposes and during the hours permitted by Court only.The Court allows the offender one chance to apply for a work licence so it is important that you are fully prepared. If the application is unsuccessful, the licence will be disqualified and you will be unable to drive for the period of time ordered by the Magistrate. Therefore it is important that you seek legal advice.Contact us to see whether you are eligible to apply for a work licence.