Is it Legal to Eat or Drink While Driving in NSW?
It has been reported that a 19-year old driver in Perth was issued with an infringement notice for $300 and three demerit points after allegedly driving while eating a bowl of breakfast cereal. The incident has triggered discussion about whether...
Low Range Drink Drivers to Face On-The-Spot Fines & Suspensions
Low-range drink driving is where a driver has a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05 to 0.79 millilitres per 210 litres of breath. The maximum penalty when it’s the driver’s first major traffic offence within 5 years is an ‘automatic’ licence...
New Road Laws: Tougher DUI Penalties, Targeting Phone Use and Cocaine Testing
On 1 July, a series of new road safety laws will come into effect across New South Wales. The new laws will add cocaine to the list of drugs police test drivers for, significantly increase the penalties for driving under...
Give Distance to Cyclists or Face the Consequences
The Minimum Passing Distance rule has been retained as a permanent road rule in New South Wales, after a trial of the rule was hailed a success. The rule requires motorists to leave a minimum one-metre gap when passing cyclists...
Cameras to Soon Detect Illegal Mobile Phone Use
The New South Wales Government will be trialling high-tech cameras which they say are capable of detecting illegal mobile phone use from as far as a kilometre away, and issuing fines without drivers being aware. Premier Gladys Berejiklian is calling...
Unaccompanied L-Plater Charged with Driving Under the Influence
A learner-driver is facing multiple charges including driving under the influence and unaccompanied after being pulled over by police on the Northern Rivers. The story so far Police signalled 23-year old Mr Squires to pull over after allegedly seeing him...
Disqualification Periods Slashed in NSW
On 28 October 2017, new laws came into effect reducing disqualification periods for driving without a valid licence, and abolishing the habitual offender scheme. New disqualification periods The new penalties can be summarised as follows: Offence Penalty where it’s your...
Mobile Phone Use While Driving – Statistics, Research and the Law
Using our mobile phones use has become so integrated into our lives, we may not even know how often we’re using them. We use our phones to email, check bank balances, pay bills, listen to music, take notes, scroll social...
Not Guilty of Drug Driving Despite Cannabis in System
Northern Rivers region resident Joseph Carrall was pulled over by NSW police senior constable Chayne Foster on 23 June 2015 for a random drug test. The officer asked the driver whether he’d taken any illicit drugs within the last 48 hours, to...
New Rules for Disqualified Driving
On 14 August, NSW attorney general Mark Speakman announced a suite of new reforms to driver licence disqualification laws. The changes, that will begin operation in late October, include pathways for driving whilst disqualified drivers to apply for their licence to be reinstated at...
