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Council seeks public views on disqualified drivers

5 June 2008

The Sentencing Advisory Council today released a discussion paper that looks at the issue of people who drive while disqualified or suspended. The Council is calling on experts and interested members of the public to provide their views on this growing problem on Victorian roads.

Each year approximately 60,000 new licence disqualifications and suspensions are imposed on Victorian drivers. Licences can be disqualified or suspended for a variety of reasons, with the most common causes being for accrual of demerit points and immediate suspension for a serious traffic infringement.

The paper shows there has been close to a three-fold increase in the number of people sentenced for driving with a disqualified or suspended licence since mid-2000. In 2000-01 approximately 2,850 people were sentenced for driving while disqualified or suspended compared to over 8,600 people in 2006-07. Nearly a quarter of these received a suspended sentence of imprisonment. 

Council Chair, Professor Arie Freiberg, said, “It is concerning that more people are driving in Victoria when their licence has been legally removed from them. These drivers pose a great risk on our roads, both to themselves and other road-users - studies suggest that disqualified driving increases the risk of accident and subsequent injury.”

“We are particularly interested in considering a wide range of sanctions that will deter or prevent more people from driving while disqualified. Perhaps options such as vehicle impoundment or licence restrictions would be more effective in reducing the number of disqualified drivers using the roads. The Council will also consider the use of rehabilitation courses that are not currently an option for disqualified drivers”, said Professor Freiberg.

The discussion paper can be obtained by contacting the Sentencing Advisory Council, or downloaded from our website. Submissions can be made up until 18 July 2008.