THE state government has announced an overhaul of its “broken” driver disqualification laws, giving those who lose their licence the chance to show they can be trusted.
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Speaking from Tamworth on Monday, NSW Attorney General Mark Speakman said 57 per cent people charged with driving while disqualified had already been convicted of the same offence in the last five years.
“Having long disqualification periods, sometimes up to 20, 30, 40 years, is not working, it’s not discouraging people from driving disqualified and its having a disproportional impact on regional communities,” he said.
“We see otherwise law abiding citizens who can’t get jobs, can’t get education, can’t even take their sick kids to the doctors because their disqualified.”
The changes will allow disqualified drivers who have kept their hands off the wheel to reapply for their licence after two or four years (depending on their sentence).
“This gives people an incentive to do the right thing,” Mr Speakman said.
NSW Police Assistance Commissioner Geoff McKechnie said the changes would provide disqualified drivers with hope.
“What we find as police, is that people aren’t going to stop driving for 28 years,” he said.