Are you someone who doesn’t hesitate to take risks on the road? Well, as adventurous as it sounds, it might result in heavy fines and demerits in Australia. Almost all Australians are aware of the consequences of speeding but if you’re new, don’t worry, you have chosen the correct article to know it all. In this article, we have tried to explain the laws and fines regarding speeding.
Over-Speeding in Australia – Australia takes speeding very seriously. Inhabitants who are caught driving above the prescribed limit tend to face extreme consequences ranging from large fines to cancellation of their driving licence. However, the escape is very simple, you just have to drive within the legal speed limits. While you can simply follow the posted speed limits, it is important to know that different states and territories have different penalties for speeding because fining road offences is subject to the state government, rather than the central government.
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Speeding fines: Over-Speeding in Australia
When you are issued a speeding ticket in Australia, you might have violated a traffic speed limit. When the driver is issued a speeding ticket by New South Wales (NSW), the penalty depends on the severity of the speed violation. Usually, NSW kicks in once the driver has exceeded the legal speed limit by 10%.
Fine amounts are subject to change and these also vary from vehicle to vehicle. A serious speeding offence is considered when:
- Driving with a disqualified or suspended license
- Driving 30 km/hr over the speed limit but below 45 km/km
- Driving 45 km/hr over the speed limit
The authority can also seize the plate number or even worse, confiscate your vehicle.
Demerit points:
As soon as a driver gets their licence to drive a vehicle, they are also allocated a demerit point balance of zero. Subsequently, demerit points are added to the driver’s record every time they are caught in a traffic law violation while in control of the vehicle. Demerit points range from 1 to 4 depending on the seriousness of the offence.
Demerit points are used to ensure that the drivers who violate road laws frequently are taken off the roads. Once a driver reaches their maximum demerit balance of their state, they’ll be issued a legal notice which offers a choice between a temporary suspension of their driving licence or continuing driving without generating any further offences for 1 year.
If a driver chooses the second option and is caught violating any road law within that period, their driving licence will immediately be suspended for double the original specified period. Demerit points are not everlasting. They expire every 3 years from the date of the relevant offence.
How speeding is detected:
A driver can be caught speeding by:
- Police
- Mobile speed cameras
- Fixed speed cameras
To ensure that the speed cameras are accurate, the NSW government conducts rigorous regular testings which make sure that the cameras are meeting legislation requirements.
Penalties for speeding offences (except heavy vehicles)
| Exceeding the speed limit | Penalty (as of 1 July 2023) | Demerit points | Automatic licence suspension |
| By less than 10 km/hr | $240 | 1 | – |
| 10 km/hr- 24 km/hr | $385 | 3 | – |
| 25 km/hr- 29 km/hr | $529 | – | 3 months |
| 30 km/hr- 34 km/hr | $625 | – | 3 months |
| 35 km/hr- 39 km/hr | $721 | – | 6 months |
| 40 km/hr- 44 km/hr | $817 | – | 6 months |
| By 45 km/hr or more | $962 | – | 12 months |
Penalties for speeding offences – heavy vehicles
| Exceeding the speed limit | Penalty (as at 1 July 2023) | Demerit points | Automatic licence suspension |
| By less than 10 km/hr | $337 | 1 | – |
| 10 km/hr- 14 km/hr | $529 | 3 | – |
| 15 km/hr- 24 km/hr | $769 | 3 | – |
| 25 km/hr- 29 km/hr | $1,058 | – | 3 months |
| 30 km/hr- 34 km/hr | $1,346 | – | 3 months |
| 35 km/hr- 39 km/hr | $1,635 | – | 6 months |
| 40 km/hr- 44 km/hr | $1,923 | – | 6 months |
| By 45 km/hr or more | $2,212 | – | 12 months |
What qualifies as a heavy vehicle, you might ask! Well, for a vehicle to be penalised under heavy vehicle speeding, the vehicle should fall into any of the following categories:
- A vehicle with a maximum loaded weight exceeding 4.5 tonnes
- A Vehicle including any trailers being towed with a maximum loaded weight exceeding 14.5 tonnes
- A bus with more than 12 seats
Speeding offences for learner and provisional licence:
If the driver holds a provisional licence and commits any speeding offence, they will receive 4 demerit points. Additionally, learners and P1 licence holders will either have their licence suspended or refused for at least 3 months. Along with this, a fine will also be imposed. Provisional P2 licence holders, if caught speeding, will have to stay on their P2 licence for an extra 6 months every time they are caught.
Avoiding demerit points and speeding fines:
Legal speed restrictions vary from state to state and also by the type of road one is travelling on. The easiest way to avoid fines and demerit points is to keep your speed in check whenever you are on the road. Periodic signage indicating the speed limit is often posted along the roads and hence, the driver should always be alert and responsible to stay within the indicated speed limit. Sometimes, signage is not clearly visible or completely absent. In such a situation, the driver should take reference speed limits which are considered default across the country in cases of missing signage.
Following are the default speed limits:
- 50 km/hr in built-up areas, with few exceptions, which are:
- 40 km/hr in school zones or other areas with high volumes of pedestrian activity
- 10 km/hr in shared zones, where both pedestrians and motor vehicles are on the road
- 100 km/hr outside of build-up areas
The Northern Territory has a slightly different rule. The general urban speed limit is 60 km/hr and the general speed limit outside of urban areas is 110 km/hr.
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Conclusion:
Speeding is addictive and it can be fatal. It is more than just breaking the law. The consequences are far-ranging:
- Economic implications of speed-related crash
- Increased fuel consumption and cost
- Increased stopping distance after the driver perceives a danger
We hope our article gave you the required knowledge of speeding fines in Australia.