 |
| Go directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200 |
The laws vary quite a bit from state to state. Lets take a look at what some of these things will cost you if your doing the wrong thing. I deliberately have not put anything in about drink driving fines for obvious reasons.
The penalties listed in the tables below are for light vehicles(cars/motorcycles) only and there are separate fines for heavy vehicles.
NEW SOUTH WALES
In NSW a full drivers license has 13 demerit points.
Speeding Offence
|
Demerit
Points
|
Fine
|
Exceed
limit by less than 10 kmh
|
1
|
$109
|
Exceed
limit by 10 kmh - 19 kmh
|
3
|
$254
|
Exceed
limit by 20 kmh - 29 kmh
|
4
|
$436
|
Exceed
limit by 30 kmh - 44 kmh
|
5 *
|
$835
|
Exceed limit by 45 kmh or
more
|
6 **
|
$2252
|
Exceed
limit by less than 10 kmh in School Zone
|
2
|
$182
|
Exceed
limit by 10 kmh - 19 kmh in School Zone
|
4
|
$327
|
Exceed
limit by 20 kmh - 29 kmh in School Zone
|
5
|
$545
|
Exceed
limit by 30 kmh - 44 kmh in School Zone
|
6 *
|
$1053
|
Exceed
limit by 45 kmh or more in School Zone
|
7 **
|
$2400
|
* Minimum 3 months License Disqualification
If police catch you speeding by more than 45km/h over the limit you may have your licence immediately suspended and confiscated at the roadside for 6 months.
In addition to this NSW has Double demerits where on advertised long weekends like Easter, Christmas - New Year, Australia Day, Anzac Day etc the fines for speeding, not wear a seatbelt, riding without a helmet attract double the demerit points for that offense.
Negligent Driving/Riding
There are a couple of different types of neg driving charges you can get in NSW. There is the basic negligent driving. This is the lesser charge that can be used for lots of different purposes such as bad driving/riding, wheelies, stoppies etc. The greater of the two charges is called Driving in a manner dangerous and if you get done for this you are really screwed and will have to attend court where the costs could be much higher.
Offence
|
Demerit
Points
|
Fine
|
3
|
||
* 12 Months minimum - no maximum license Disqualification - Up to 9 months jail term. A second offense will draw in $3300 2 Year minimum license loss and up to 12 months jail.
NSW has various 'HOON' laws in place that can be used for offences such as
NSW has various 'HOON' laws in place that can be used for offences such as
- Street racing
- Aggravated burnout
- Engaging in a police pursuit
- Speeding by more than 45km
With these you can have your vehicle impounded or your license plates confiscated on the spot for a fixed 3 month period and your license suspended on the spot. If your plates are confiscated then the police will affix a number plate confiscation sticker to the vehicle. If you get one of these you will be walking or getting towed as if your caught using the vehicle again its a $3300 fine and vehicle forfeiture. If your stupid enough to be in a police chase you can be charged under Sky's Law with a minimum jail term of 3 years on a first offense.
So if your pulling wheelies it will probably depend on where your doing it and how the copper feels at the time but if you are doing it on a deserted country road then you'll probably just get a neg driving charge, but if your pulling monster wheelies down Pitt St Sydney then you can expect them to throw the book at you and you'll be facing a ban and a huge fine. You've been warned.
In Victoria a full drivers license has 12 demerit points. Victoria otherwise know as the 'police state' for Vicpol's overzealous enforcement of everything and anything they can.So if your pulling wheelies it will probably depend on where your doing it and how the copper feels at the time but if you are doing it on a deserted country road then you'll probably just get a neg driving charge, but if your pulling monster wheelies down Pitt St Sydney then you can expect them to throw the book at you and you'll be facing a ban and a huge fine. You've been warned.
VICTORIA
Speeding Offence
|
Demerit
Points
|
Fine
|
Exceed limit by less than 10 kmh
|
1
|
$185
|
Exceed limit by 10 kmh – 24 kmh
|
3
|
$295
|
Exceed limit by 25 kmh – 29 kmh
|
4 *
|
$406
|
Exceed limit by 30 kmh – 34 kmh
|
4 *
|
$480
|
Exceed limit by 35 kmh – 39 kmh
|
6 **
|
$554
|
Exceed limit by 40 kmh – 44 kmh
|
6 **
|
$627
|
Exceed limit by 45 kmh or more
|
8 ***
|
$738
|
* Minimum 1 month License Disqualification
** Minimum 6 months License Disqualification
*** Minimum 12 months License Disqualification
Offence
|
Demerit
Points
|
Fine
|
Careless Driving
|
3 *
|
$295
|
ANTI HOON LAWS
The anti-hoon laws provide that if police have reasonable grounds for believing a driver has committed a hoon-related offence, they have the power to seize that vehicle and impound or immobilise it for 30 days. A vehicle may be impounded or immobilised, regardless of who owns it and whether the driver is the registered operator.
Your vehicle could be impounded if you commit offences such as:
- speeding at 45 km/h or more over the speed limit (or 145 kilometres per hour or more if the speed limit is 110 kilometres per hour)
- deliberate loss of traction(burnout)
- street racing
- refusing to stop when directed by police
- a repeat offence of unlicensed driving
- driving at 70 km/h or more over the speed limit
 |
| Who's up for Hoon pancakes? Link |
If your caught popping a wheel in Victoria then you will be charged under the Hoon legislation and will then have your pride and joy seized for 30 days + the fine + the towing fee and possible court costs. A wheelie could cost anywhere up to $3000 and a month off the bike.
 |
| Vicpol tactics, hiding in the bushes with radars and camouflage |
QUEENSLAND
In Queensland a full drivers license has 12 demerit points.
Speeding Offence
|
Demerit
Points
|
Fine
|
Exceed limit by less than 13 kmh
|
1
|
$151
|
Exceed limit by 13 kmh – 20 kmh
|
3
|
$227
|
Exceed limit by 21 kmh – 30 kmh
|
4
|
$379
|
Exceed limit by 31 kmh – 40 kmh
|
6
|
$531
|
Exceed limit by 41 kmh or more
|
8 *
|
$1062
|
* Minimum 6 months License Disqualification - second offence vehicle will be impounded for 7 days, 3rd offence vehicle will be impounded for 90 days
Offence
|
Demerit
Points
|
Fine
|
$4000 #
|
||
*
|
$4000 @
|
|
* 90 day vehicle impoundment for first offence, if a second offence occurs within 5 years the vehicle will be forfeit.
# Maximum penalty is $4000 and 1 month to 2 years license disqualification - Type 1 Hoon offence
ANTI HOON LAWS
Queensland also has some of the harshest anti hoon laws in the country. There are 2 types of these with different severity's.A type 1 offence is considered the most serious while type 2 offences are less serious. The Government classification of serious and not so serious does however appear poorly drafted as doing a burnout is considered more serious than high range drink driving for the purpose of impoundment and forfeiture.
Type 1 hooning offences include;
- evading police.
- taking part in racing or speed trials
- wilfully starting a motor vehicle or driving in way that makes unnecessary noise or smoke
- dangerous driving
- careless driving
Type 2 hooning offences include;
- driving a vehicle that is uninsured and unregistered
- driving without a licence or when your licence has been suspended
- high range drink driving—with a blood alcohol level above 0.15%
- exceeding the speed limit by more than 40km/h
- driving a modified vehicle that does not comply with vehicle safety standards
- driving while under a 24 hour suspension order.
Special Mention : -
ANTI ASSOCIATION LAWS(Anti Bikie)
Queensland has some pretty harsh laws in place for anyone that is in a social motorcycle club(Hells Angels, Rebels, Mongels, Comancheros etc, all the 1% clubs basically). The Queensland government has introduced new laws to stop people from associating with others if they deem them to be in a outlaw motorcycle club. These laws can see people put in jail for just meeting together with 3 or more members in a public place. It's pretty farcical and hopefully shall soon be repelled. You can click here for more info on a previous post.SOUTH AUSTRALIA
In SA a full drivers license has 12 demerit points.
Speeding Offence
|
Demerit
Points
|
Fine
|
Exceed
limit by less than 10 kmh
|
2
|
$159
|
Exceed
limit by 10 kmh - 19 kmh
|
3
|
$349
|
Exceed
limit by 20 kmh - 29 kmh
|
5
|
$709
|
Exceed
limit by 30 kmh - 44 kmh
|
7
|
$846
|
Exceed limit by 45 kmh or
more
|
9 *
|
$952
|
* Minimum 6 months License Disqualification
Offence
|
Demerit
Points
|
Fine
|
| Excessive Speed |
9
|
|
* Police can wheel clamp or impound your vehicle
 |
| The best place to find one of these |
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
In WA a full drivers license has 12 demerit points.
Speeding Offence
|
Demerit
Points
|
Fine
|
Exceed limit by less than 9 kmh
|
0
|
$100
|
Exceed limit by 9 kmh -19 kmh
|
2 *
|
$200
|
Exceed limit by 20 kmh - 29 kmh
|
3 *
|
$400
|
Exceed limit by 30 kmh - 40 kmh
|
5 *
|
$800
|
Exceed limit by 41 kmh or more
|
7 * **
|
$1000
|
* On advertised weekends double demerits apply to these offences. ie Easter, Christmas and long weekends etc
** 28 Day vehicle impounded for first offense, 2nd offense 3 months.
Offence
|
Demerit
Points
|
Fine
|
Willfully causing excessive noise,
smoke(eg burn out)
|
3 *
|
$600
|
Driving at high speed or in a
dangerous or antisocial manner
|
||
Reckless Driving – 1st
offence
|
**
|
$2000
|
Reckless Driving – 2nd offence
|
**
|
$3000
|
* 28 Day vehicle impounded for first offense, 2nd offense 3 months.
WA also has fairly hefty ANTI HOON laws in place for excessive speeding, street racing etc. For hoon offenses your vehicle can be impounded by the police for 28 days on a 1st offense and for 3 months on a 2nd offence. A 3rd offense will see your vehicle confiscated or impounded for 6 months. Examples of hoon behaviour are
- intentionally causing tyres to lose traction
- causing a vehicle to make excessive noise or smoke
- exceeding the speed limit by 45 km/h or more (e.g. travelling at more than 155 km/h in a 110 km/h zone )
- engaging in a race or speed trial on a public road or in a public space
TASMANIA
Speeding Offence
|
Demerit
Points
|
Fine
|
Exceed limit by less than 10 kmh
|
2
|
$80
|
Exceed limit by 10 kmh – 14 kmh
|
2
|
$110
|
Exceed limit by 15 kmh – 22 kmh
|
3
|
$150
|
Exceed limit by 23 kmh – 29 kmh
|
3
|
$250
|
Exceed limit by 30 kmh – 37 kmh
|
5
|
$450
|
Exceed limit by 38 kmh – 44 kmh
|
6 *
|
$650
|
Exceed limit by 45 kmh or more
|
6 **
|
$800
|
* Minimum 3 month License Disqualification
** Minimum 4 months License Disqualification
So after all of this I've learned that popping one sweet little wheelie could cost you big time in Australia if you are caught doing it. We have so much become the nanny state of the world is embarrassing. So moral of this story is don't do it anywhere were you can get caught. That only leaves private property, as race tracks also don't let you wheely there either leaving you with few options. That also goes for speeding as well. Take that to the track where you can have some real fun and go as hard as you are capable of.
So you can see that for Australia, Tasmania looks like it wins the best and fairest award and Queensland and Victoria pull out the Gestapo award for the biggest money grabbing asshats that you could ever hope to meet. Now lets compare some of this to some other 1st world countrys like the USA and Germany.
Germany
Germany is well renouned as leaders in car/motorcycle manufacturing with superior build quality and this also is translates over into their road systems and license testing. A drivers license in germany has 18 points
Speeding Offence
|
Suspension
City/Country
|
Demerit
Points
|
Fine *
|
Up to 10 km/h
|
15/10
|
||
11 – 15 km/h
|
25/20
|
||
16-21 km/h
|
35/30
|
||
21-25 km/h
|
1
|
80/70
|
|
26-30 km/h
|
1
|
100/80
|
|
31-40 km/h
|
1 month(City)
|
1
|
160/120
|
41-50 km/h
|
1 month
|
2
|
200/160
|
51-60 km/h
|
2/1 months
|
2
|
280/240
|
61-70 km/h
|
3/2 months
|
2
|
480/440
|
over 70 km/h
|
3 months
|
2
|
680/600
|
* Fine on the left is for within city limits and on the right is out of city limits
USA
Speeding fines in the USA can vary quite a bit from state to state, but for the purposes of this exercise I'm going to look at the state of Oregon. Thanks to Brandy from Trobairitz Tablet for some info for this article.Speeding fines in the state of Oregon are classified as traffic violations. There are different classes of violations that appear to attract different fines.
(a)One to 10 mph(2-16kph) in excess of the speed limit is a Class D traffic violation. Fine $110
(b)11 to 20 mph(16-32kph) in excess of the speed limit is a Class C traffic violation. Fine $160
(c)21 to 30 mph(32-48kph) in excess of the speed limit is a Class B traffic violation. Fine $260
(d)Over 30 mph(48kph+) in excess of the speed limit is a Class A traffic violation. Fine $435
In addition to this the licensing system does not have a points system, so accumulating fines doesn't seem to make you necessarily lose your license. In Oregon your insurance company (there are dozens, not just
one from run by the government) they can give you points in their system for
tickets and raise your insurance rates or drop your insurance if you get too
many tickets. So higher insurance rates may be the outcome but you still keep your license.
If a person drives 100 miles per hour or greater when the person commits a violation, the person commits a specific fine traffic violation. The presumptive fine for a violation under this subsection is $1,150, and upon conviction the court shall order a suspension of driving privileges for not less than 30 days nor more than 90 days.
You can see that comparing NSW to Germany and the US
1. NSW - 45kmh over $2252 6 points(half your license) and 6 months disqualification
2. Germany - 45kmh over - €200 2 points and 1 month disqualification
3. USA - 45kmh over - $260 No points
Liberal Democrats senator David Leyonhjelm recently addressed parliament with an almost word for word speech as the following video. David's speech has to be the most common sensicle approach I've ever heard from a politician anywhere and it was brilliantly put.
Thanks to the following government websites for the information required to put this page together. If you want more info click on the links below. I haven't put in any information on the Northern Territory as er........ well there isn't anywhere decent there to ride so I didn't waste my time filling it out. Prove me wrong NT riders :P. There is one notable exception with the NT. They have a section of road north of Alice springs where the speed limit is 200kmh but that's just too far away.......
Victoria Demerit Points
NSW Demerit Points
QLD Demerit Points
South Australia Demerit Points
WA Demerit Points
Tas Demerit Points and Fines
NT Demerit Points
BMVI - Germany
Oregon Laws.Org
1. NSW - 45kmh over $2252 6 points(half your license) and 6 months disqualification
2. Germany - 45kmh over - €200 2 points and 1 month disqualification
3. USA - 45kmh over - $260 No points
The Wrap Up
So it seems no matter where you live you will get bent over and shafted if your caught speeding or doing the wrong thing thats pretty universal, but it seems especially bad if you live in a heavily policed state like Australia compared to other 1st world country's like the US and Germany. Our fines and penalties seem to be severely harsh in comparison. With an ever diminishing road toll which is due more to the fact of safer cars and better built roads than drivers ability or policing/speed cameras it hard to fathom government thinking on this but it seems to be more than anything else a revenue raising exercise. I leave this thought with you and you can be the judge.Liberal Democrats senator David Leyonhjelm recently addressed parliament with an almost word for word speech as the following video. David's speech has to be the most common sensicle approach I've ever heard from a politician anywhere and it was brilliantly put.
Thanks to the following government websites for the information required to put this page together. If you want more info click on the links below. I haven't put in any information on the Northern Territory as er........ well there isn't anywhere decent there to ride so I didn't waste my time filling it out. Prove me wrong NT riders :P. There is one notable exception with the NT. They have a section of road north of Alice springs where the speed limit is 200kmh but that's just too far away.......
Victoria Demerit Points
NSW Demerit Points
QLD Demerit Points
South Australia Demerit Points
WA Demerit Points
Tas Demerit Points and Fines
NT Demerit Points
BMVI - Germany
Oregon Laws.Org
