Novice Range Drink Driving

The offence of Novice Range PCA is committed by a person who drives a motor vehicle on a public road with a blood alcohol concentration above 0.00 and up to 0.019. Any person who is subject to a zero alcohol limit while driving may be charged with novice range PCA.

Broadly speaking, this offence will usually apply to persons who have a special licence such as a learner licence, P1 provisional licence or P2 provisional licence. The charge also applies to persons driving without a valid licence, including suspended and disqualified drivers.

Police can issue either:

• an infringement notice, which has a $572 fine; or
• a court attendance notice for the offence.

If you receive an infringement notice, you will also either receive an immediate suspension notice from the police or one subsequently from Transport for NSW suspending your licence for a period of three months.

If you receive a court attendance notice, or elect to take the matter to court, the maximum penalty for this charge depends on whether a person is a first offender (20 penalty units) or second and subsequent offender (30 penalty units). If a court sentencing a person records a conviction, it must make a disqualification order. The automatic period of disqualification for a first-time offender is 6 months. The court can reduce this period but cannot reduce it below the minimum disqualification period of 3 months.

Regardless of whether police issue an infringement notice or a court attendance notice, they can issue an immediate notice of suspension. This immediate notice of suspension will mean that the offender’s driver licence will be suspended on the spot for a period of 3 months.

Will I get a criminal record if I receive an Infringement notice for a novice range PCA charge?

No. The offence will remain on the person’s traffic record and/or infringements record, but will not form part of their criminal record.

Do I need to attend court if I receive an Infringement Notice?

The person will not be required to attend court, unless they make a court election or wish to appeal the immediate notice of suspension or the Transport for NSW notice of suspension. Such appeals are to be filed at a Local Court Registry accompanied by a filing fee, relevant legal forms and associated paperwork.

Will I get a criminal record if I receive a Court Attendance Notice for a novice range PCA charge?

If the court elects to record a conviction, you will have a criminal record. Drink driving is considered to be a serious offence, and the starting point for the sentencing court is the recording of a criminal conviction, with the imposition of a fine and a period of licence disqualification.

For advice or representation in any legal matter, please contact Armstrong Legal.