Traffic Law News and Guides
Plain explanations of Victorian driving offences, what happens at court, and what a charge means for your licence. Written by the barrister who runs the matter in court.
Latest
What happens if you drive while suspended in Victoria
Police can take your car at the kerb and the court can add more time off the road. What actually happens turns on how you came to be suspended, and on whether you knew.
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25 August 2026 · 7 min read
Caught driving while disqualified in Victoria: what actually happens
The maximum is 240 penalty units or two years in prison. What happens to most people is different, and it turns on why you were disqualified and why you drove.
22 June 2026 · 5 min read
How Soon After Drinking Can You Drive in VIC?
The limit is 0.05, or 0.00 on a learner, probationary or provisional licence. How long it takes your body to get there depends on far more than how many drinks you had.
15 June 2026 · 6 min read
Driving While Suspended in Victoria
An offence under section 30 of the Road Safety Act. The outcome usually turns on why you were suspended, why you drove, and what your history looks like.
11 December 2025 · 4 min read
Assault and Serious Injury Offences in Victoria: Legal Definitions, Penalties, and Family Violence Implications
Common assault through to intentionally causing serious injury, what the prosecution has to prove for each, and where family violence changes the picture.
12 November 2025 · 3 min read
Refusing a Drug Test in Victoria: Potential Penalties Faced
Refusing is a separate offence, and it is usually punished more heavily than the drug driving charge you were trying to avoid.
7 November 2025 · 2 min read
What Are the Penalties for Driving While Disqualified or Suspended?
The maximum is 240 penalty units or two years imprisonment. What actually happens to most people is a fine, and a decision about whether they keep their licence.
6 November 2025 · 3 min read
Refuse to Submit to Breath Test (Vic) - Penalties Explained
Refusing a roadside breath test is an offence in its own right, and it is treated more harshly than most of the drink driving charges it might have avoided.
30 October 2025 · 7 min read
Passing an emergency vehicle in Victoria: what the 40km/h rule requires
Rule 79A contains four separate obligations, not one, and since July 2025 it covers tow trucks and roadside assistance vehicles as well as police and ambulances.
4 March 2025 · 7 min read
Medicinal cannabis and driving in Victoria: what changed, and what did not
Since March 2025 a magistrate can decide not to take your licence. Testing positive is still an offence, and which subsection you are charged under decides almost everything.
22 October 2024 · 7 min read
Three years at zero BAC: the drink driving penalty that outlasts your suspension
The disqualification is the shortest part of a drink driving penalty in Victoria. The three years at zero blood alcohol after the interlock comes off is the part that catches people out.
31 March 2024 · 1 min read
30 days to appeal Intervention Orders
It is important to appeal within 30 days of the Magistrates' Court decision. Carroll v Browne [2018] VSC 253 is a case
Melbourne, and courts across Victoria
Reading up is a good start. It is not advice on your matter.
If police have charged you and you have a court date, tell me what you are facing. I run the case myself from the first call to the last appearance, at a fixed fee per court date agreed in writing before you commit. The first 15-minute call costs nothing.