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…

Whenever you are charged with a traffic offence there is usually the scope to try and negotiate those charges with the police prosecutor or the Office of the Department of Public Prosecutions (“DPP”). This is known as case conferencing in Queensland. For the purpose of this article, we will use two examples. One is an unlicensed driving charge, the other is a dangerous operation of a motor vehicle charge (“dangerous driving”). Negotiations with the police prosecution unit or DPP are almost exclusively done by lawyers. You can of course self-represent yourself and negotiate with the prosecutor and prosecutors are always…

A drink driving charge is one of the most common offences dealt with in Queensland Courts. Over 30,000 people face court each year charged with drink driving. Knowing how a court will deal with a drink driving charge is important for anyone facing the court for this charge.   How Drink driving Offences are Dealt with Generally In general terms, drink driving matters are dealt with “summarily”, which means that they are dealt with in a Queensland Magistrates Court, rather than in the higher courts, such as the District or Supreme Court. This is true whether you plead guilty or…

Whether you call it a hardship licence, a special hardship licence, a high speed suspension licence or demerit point licence you are likely to have questions about what will happen in court. From the almost 1,000 successful special hardship applications we at Clarity Law have made the following are the most frequently asked questions.  This information applies only to hardship licence applications in Queensland.   What time should I arrive? You should arrive no later than 30 minutes before the time your special hardship application is to be heard (45 minutes is better). The time will be listed on your…

At Clarity Law we have been able to assist almost a thousand people obtain a Special Hardship Order ("SHO") since 2010. We have obviously been able to acquire a lot of knowledge during this time and this guide is meant to give people a basic understanding of what it might take to apply for a hardship licence in Queensland. Special hardship licences are also sometimes referred to demerit point licences or just hardship licences. For more information contact us on 1300 952 255 or visit our Special Hardship Order page or our main page at www.drivinglaw.com.au   Introduction A special…