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Unlicensed driving in Victoria
Driving while Suspended
Driving while Disqualified
Unlicensed Driving 

 

Section 30 Road Safety Act states:

(1) Subject to section 30AA, a person must not drive a motor vehicle on a highway while the authorisation granted to him or her to do so under this Part is suspended or during a period of disqualification from obtaining such an authorisation.

Maximum Penalty:
240 penalty units (approx $40,000) or imprisonment for 2 years.


Driving Whilst Suspended. S.30 Road Safety Act. law. Drive while suspended lawyer. Suspended driving legal advice. suspended licence.

A drivers licence can be suspended in many different ways. If a court finds you guilty of any offence (other than drink driving, drug driving or dangerous driving) it has power to suspend your drivers licence. The most common ways in which a licence is suspended are as follows:

It is an offence to drive most motorised vehicles on a road or in a public place if your licence has been suspended.

When police intercept a vehicle often the first thing they do is conduct a licence check to determine whether the driver has a current and valid licence. Most police cars have on-board computers that enable them to look up a database of licence holders and registration details.


Effect of licence suspension

A person whose licence has been suspended is unable to use the licence for any purpose until the period of suspension has expired. Once the suspension ends, the person can resume driving provided their licence is current. If your car was not impounded, there is no need to take any step in order to be able to resume driving after the suspension period ends - i.e. no courses or tests to do or any fees to pay. The licence you had at the time the suspension commenced will simply resume. Probationary licence holders will have their probationary period extended by 6 months plus the suspension period.

It is a serious offence to drive any motor vehicle (whether or not it is registerable, such as most motorised scooters) on a road or road related area (e.g. car park, bike track, 4WD track) while your licence or permit is suspended. You can not supervise a learner driver if your drivers licence is suspended. You can not use a suspended licence to drive in another state, and you are disqualified from obtaining a new licence during the period of suspension. For interstate licence holders, a Victorian court or a Victorian law is not able to suspend a licence issued in another state, but Victorian law can disqualify you from obtaining a Victorian licence which prevents you from driving in Victoria during the period of disqualification.


Penalties for driving whilst suspended
s.30 Road Safety Act 1986

The maximum penalty is a fine of up to $40,000 fine, or up to 24 months imprisonment.

Typical outcomes for a first offence is a conviction and fine of about $500 to $800, and 0 to 6 months further licence suspension. The main variables that affect sentence is the reason why your licence was under suspension and the circumstances which caused you to drive whilst suspended.

A typical sentence for a second offence is a conviction and a more significant fine, with some further licence suspension. 

Usually my client's goal is to ensure that any additional licence loss period is kept to a minimum if not avoided completely, as well as to avoid convictions, large fines, community work or imprisonment.

If you are found driving with a suspended licence it is common for the police to tow and impound your vehicle for 30 days. The police can apply to the court for up to two more months of vehicle impoundment or for vehicle forfeiture.

 

Defences to driving whilst suspended

All of the legal process defences which are available in all traffic offences are available in drive whilst suspended cases. Other ways of defending these charges involve challenging the legitimacy of the suspension, or having the suspension reversed, having the court accept you were not driving a motor vehicle, or the prosecution may be unable to prove that you knew that your drivers licence was suspended at the time of driving.

If you were unaware that your licence had been suspended and the charge is dismissed for that reason, the court can still order you to serve the portion of your licence suspension period that you failed to serve because you were unaware of the suspension. s.30A Road Safety Act 1986


Legal Representation

Within about 4 months of the date of being found driving you can expect to receive a charge and summons to attend court, at which point legal representation is recommended. The total cost of legal representation for a plea of guilty to driving while suspended is usually within the range $1400 to $2000, depending on how many prior offences you have. An assessment of your chances of an acquittal can only be done at a conference after considering all the relevant paperwork.  Usually my client's goal is to avoid further periods of licence loss and you will find that easier to achieve with experienced legal representation.


Driving Whilst Disqualified. S.30 Road Safety Act Drive while disqualfied law and advice

Any person who loses their licence for a drink driving offence or a dangerous driving offence will find that their licence is cancelled (not suspended) and they are disqualified from obtaining a licence for a fixed period of time. You can become a disqualified person by order of a court or by a traffic infringement notice. A person who drives a motor vehicle on a road during a period when they are disqualified from obtaining a licence commits this offence.

Effect of disqualification

A person who is disqualified from obtaining a licence is unable to drive a motor vehicle during the period of disqualification. Once the disqualification period ends, the person will not be able to drive until they apply for a new licence. Holders of interstate drivers licences and overseas licences can also be disqualified from driving in Victoria (alternatively - disqualified from obtaining a Victorian licence) for any traffic offence and they certainly will be disqualified if they are found guilty of drink driving or dangerous driving in Victoria.

 

Penalties for driving whilst disqualified s.30 Road Safety Act 1986

A fine up to $40,000 or up to 24 months imprisonment.

Typical outcomes for a first offence is a conviction, a fine of between $700 and $1,000 and an additional 0 to 6 months of disqualification. 

A typical penalty for a second offence is a conviction and fine of $1000 with an additional licence loss period of 1 - 6 months.

The court has options to fine the accused, order the accused to perform community work, order imprisonment of up to 2 years, and it also has the power to further suspend the accused's drivers licence for as long as the court thinks fit. 

In many cases, if the matter is handled properly, it is possible to be acquitted. This will avoid extending the licence disqualification period, avoid any type of term of imprisonment or having to perform community work, avoid large fines or having a conviction recorded.

Driving whiist disqualified is an offence which can result in vehicle impoundment or forfeiture.

 

Defences to driving whilst disqualfiied

All of the legal process defences which are available in all traffic offences are available in drive whilst disqualified cases. Other ways of defending these charges involve challenging the legitimacy of the disqualification (which is usually difficult as it is often founded on a court order), or having the disqualification reversed, having the court accept you were not driving a motor vehicle, or showing that you had no knowledge that you were disqualified at the time of driving. As this offence is punishable by imprisonment, it is common for people to try to avoid prison by pleading guilty rather than risk damaging their chances by pleading not guilty. 

 

Legal Representation

A person facing charges of driving whilst disqualified will have to go to court at which point legal representation is recommended. The total cost of legal representation for a plea of guilty to driving while disqualified is typically within the range $1400 to $2000, and sometimes higher if you have many prior offences or are facing numerous other charges. If it is your first offence, the chance of going to prison is extremely low.  An assessment of your chances of an acquittal can only be done at a conference after considering all the relevant paperwork. Usually my client's goal is to avoid further periods of licence loss and that is more easily achieved with experienced legal representation. If you are acquitted you may apply for an order that the police reimburse you for your legal costs.


Driving whilst unlicensed. S.18 Road Safety Act.legal advice

If you do not hold a licence to drive a motor vehicle in Victoria, and you are not exempt from holding one, you are not permitted to drive a motor vehicle on any public road. People who commit this offence usually fall into one of the following categories:
  • Those who have never held any drivers licence.
  • Those whose licence was cancelled or expired and they failed to restore their licence
  • People who hold a licence issued in another state or country but have failed to obtain a Victorian licence.
  • People who do not hold a licence for the category of vehicle they are driving or riding (i.e. driving a truck on a car licence)

 

Penalties for driving whilst unlicensed s.18 Road Safety Act 1986

If you have previously held a licence and it has not been cancelled: Up to $1650 fine, or up to one month imprisonment.

All other cases: Up to $10,000 fine, or up to 6 months imprisonment.

Driving whilst unlicensed is an offence which can result in vehicle impoundment or forfeiture.


Defences to driving whilst unlicenced

All of the legal process defences which are available in all traffic offences are available in drive while unlicenced cases. It is also a defence if the court is satisfied that at the time of driving the accused had an honest belief based on reasonable grounds that they were licenced to drive a motor vehicle. An assessment of your chances of an acquittal can only be done at a conference after considering all the relevant paperwork. 


Related Pages:

Fines
Court Process
Relicencing applications
Immediate Licence Suspensions

court representation by traffic lawyer

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