As of Monday 20 May 2019, new drink driving penalties will apply to all drivers in New South Wales.
So what’s changing?
The most important change to penalties affects any Low Range drink driving offences and first time drug presence offences. Penalties include:
- A $561 fine for a Low Range drink driving offence or first time drug presence offence, and
- You can now have your driver’s licence suspended on the spot. (Previously this immediate suspension was reserved for High Range and Mid Range offences only.)
With the current penalties in place, if you received a Low Range drink driving offence, you would have been issued a Court Attended Notice and allowed to continue driving until your licence was disqualified by the sentencing Magistrate.
As of Monday, these changes will now give the arresting Police Officer the power to suspend the licence of a Low Range drink driver, and/or first time drug detection offence, on the spot.
The hope is that drivers will see losing their licence immediately as a big enough deterrent to make safer choices when getting behind the wheel. With options like Uber and Taxi’s available at the click of a button, the best option is to always have a Plan B, and avoid driving if you have been drinking where possible.
Please note the answers provided are for your general information only and we ask you to call our office on 1800 650 656 to obtain detailed legal advice for your individual situation.
Alice Cheek | Criminal Law Solicitor