Drug driving or driving under the intoxication of drugs is considered to be a serious offense like drink driving and the person who is caught under the wrong side of this law has to undergo severe consequences depending the amount of drugs that he or she had consumed. The article will provide you an insight on how dangerous and serious drug driving offenses are in Australia and talks about the penalties that a person charged with drug driving agencies need to face.

Drug Driving Offense

If you are living in Australia and have been caught driving a motor vehicle under the intoxication of drugs beyond certain levels, then you would be facing serious consequences. It is against the law in Australia to operate a vehicle or to attempt to move a motor vehicle under the influence of banned drug substances like heroin, cocaines, ecstasy and marijuana. The Australian police have every right to stop you on the road and conduct a test whether you have consumed any illicit substances. If you have been found to be affected by drugs, then you will be booked for drug driving charges and would need to defend yourself in the court in order to get out of the charges or to prove your innocence.

Maximum Penalties
The amount of drugs in your blood stream will determine the type of punishment that you will be getting for the crime that you had committed. If you are found guilty of driving under the influence of drugs and have been booked by the police for this crime, then you might face a maximum penalty of 18 months of imprisonment or a fine of 180 penalty units. It is considered to be a moderate serious offense which sometimes might carry a prison term when found guilty. The drug driving charges would be heard initially before a Magistrate in the Magistrate’s Court. Section 49 of the Road Safety Act of 1986 for offenses involving drugs or alcohol states that a person is guilty of the offense if he or she drives the vehicle or is in charge of the motor vehicle under the influence and intoxication of liquor or any other drug top such an extent that the person is not having proper control of the motor vehicle or is driving a motor vehicle or is in charge of the motor vehicle while impaired with drugs.

Pleading Guilty Or Not Guilty
It is important for you to take advice and guidance and to talk to qualified and competent drug driving charges lawyer to decide on whether to plead guilty to your drug driving charges or not to plead guilty. Your lawyer would be able to defend your case in the court for factual dispute and wrong use of the drug analyzing instrument. He can also fight in the court stating that you could not have known that using the drug or combination of drugs could impair your driving. So, if you have an experienced lawyer to fight your case, you can end up reducing your imprisonment or fine for drug driving charges.

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