Citation

Cross C. Proc. Australas. Coll. Road Saf. Conf. 2008; 4(Non-PR): 403.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Australasian College of Road Safety)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

On 1 July 2007, Queensland expanded its vehicle impoundment laws to encompass unregistered and uninsured vehicles, unlicensed and disqualified driving, high level drink driving (≥0.15%), failing to supply a specimen of breath or blood and illegally modified vehicles. This legislation has been piloted in three police regions and in its first twelve months, 1708 motor vehicles have been impounded for a 48 hour period. An overwhelming majority of these vehicles (89%) have been impounded as the result of repeat unlicensed and disqualified driving.

Preliminary analyses of repeat offenders from the first month of implementation revealed that 36 out of 40 individuals (90%) had recorded a previous traffic violation with almost three quarters (72.5%) of these individuals also having recorded licence disqualifications and suspensions. The current research furthers this analysis by examining a randomly selected larger group of repeat offenders who have been charged with repeat offences since the implementation of the new legislation. The aim of this research is to ascertain the extent of previous traffic violations of repeat offenders, with a particular focus on previous unlicensed and disqualified driving offenders. Based on the findings of this analysis, the paper will also discuss potential implications of vehicle sanctions on the behaviour of repeat unlicensed and disqualified drivers.