Drink driving offences – known as PCA offences can have catastrophic consequences on your life which is why you need an expert traffic lawyer for your case. Our criminal and traffic lawyers know how to get you the most lenient sentence including having no conviction recorded. We also use defences that can lead to not guilty acquittals. 

Our criminal lawyers fight for you because we know how unfair it is losing your employment because the court takes your licence away. We know that having a licence to travel to and from work means there is enough time to kiss your kids’ goodbye in the morning and tuck them in before bed. We believe that prison is always the last resort for drink driving offences because it devastates lives rather than rehabilitates people with alcohol problems. 

Because we know the law and understand your predicament, we are relentless in our defence of clients charged with drink driving offences. 

What is the offence of High Range PCA?

The offence of High-Range PCA is committed by a driver who drives a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration above 0.150.

The concern for most drivers charged with a High Range PCA offence is that they will lose their licence and be unable to meet their work and family commitments as a result. If you are charged with High Range PCA, the only way to avoid a disqualification period is for the court to deal with your case by way of section 10. This means you will have no criminal record and you keep your driver’s licence (it isn’t disqualified).

High-Range PCA offences are subject to a guideline judgment of the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal which states an order under section 10 of the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 where no conviction is recorded will rarely be appropriate. In practice this means your case will need to be exceptional or unusual.

The guideline judgement gives the following examples of when High Range PCA matters may be dealt with by way of section 10:

  • Where the driver becomes compelled by an urgent and unforeseen circumstance to drive a motor vehicle to take a person to hospital.
  • Where the offending is technical, there being no real risk of damage or injury arising from the driving e.g. driving the car from the on-street parking immediately in front of a house then and into the home’s garage.

Can a High Range PCA offence be aggravated?

Yes. The moral culpability of a High Range PCA offender will be increased by:

  • The number of prior PCA offences.
  • The degree of intoxication above 0.150.
  • Erratic or aggressive driving.
  • A collision between the vehicle and any other object.
  • Competitive driving or showing off.
  • The length of the journey at which others are exposed to risk.
  • The number of persons actually put at risk by the driving.

Where a High Range PCA is aggravated the Magistrate will regard the charge as more serious and normally impose a harsher penalty.

Penalty for a first offence within 5 years

You will not be disqualified from driving if the court deals with your charge of High Range PCA by way of section 10, which means you keep your driver’s licence (it isn’t disqualified) and you will have no criminal record. 

To find out more about a section 10, click here.

If the court convicts you the mandatory interlock program applies to a first offence of High Range PCA. This means to drive you will be required to install an interlock device on your car following the disqualification expiring. 

If an interlock order is made you will be disqualified for 6-9 months, then placed on the interlock program for a further two years.

Participants in the interlock program are required to have devices that connect to the ignition of a vehicle and prevent it from starting if the driver cannot pass an alcohol breath test. The cost of installing the device and the annual licensing fee is paid by the person subject to the interlock order. 

Interlock licence holders are required to have a zero-blood alcohol concentration (BAC) when driving. 

If you are convicted of a first offence of High Range PCA, the maximum fine that a court can impose is $3,300.00. The maximum term of imprisonment is 18 months.

You can read about all the sentencing options that a court has here, including having no conviction recorded.

Penalty for a second offence within 5 years

You will not be disqualified from driving if the court deals with your charge of High Range PCA by way of section 10. This means you keep your driver’s licence (it isn’t disqualified) and you will have no criminal record. 

To find out more about a section 10, click here.

If the court convicts you the mandatory interlock program applies to a second offence of High Range PCA. This means to drive you will be required to install an interlock device on your car following the disqualification expiring. 

If an interlock order is made you will be disqualified for 9-12 months, then placed on the interlock program for a further four years. 

Participants in the interlock program are required to have devices that connect to the ignition of a vehicle and prevent it from starting if the driver cannot pass an alcohol breath test. The cost of installing the device and the annual licensing fee is paid by the person subject to the interlock order. 

Interlock licence holders are required to have a zero-blood alcohol concentration (BAC) when driving. 

If you are convicted of a second offence of High Range PCA, the maximum fine that a court can impose is $5,500.00. The maximum term of imprisonment is two years.

You can read about all the sentencing options that a court has here, including having no conviction recorded.

Guideline judgment and penalties for High Range PCA

The guideline judgment offers guidance on how courts should deal with High Range PCA offences; however, since it was handed down the sentencing options available to a court have changed significantly.

The guideline judgement states an ordinary case of the offence of High Range PCA is one where:

  • The offender drove to avoid personal inconvenience or because the offender did not believe that he or she was sufficiently affected by alcohol.
  • The offender was detected by a random breath test.
  • The offender has prior good character.
  • The offender has nil, or a minor, traffic record.
  • The offender’s licence was suspended on detection.
  • The offender pleaded guilty.
  • There is little or no risk of re-offending.
  • The offender would be significantly inconvenienced by loss of licence.

In an ordinary case of an offence of high range PCA:

  • An order under section 10 of the Sentencing Act will rarely be appropriate;
  • A conviction cannot be avoided only because the offender has attended, or will attend, a driver’s education or awareness course;
  • The automatic disqualification period will be appropriate unless there is a good reason to reduce the period of disqualification. A good reason under may include:
    • The nature of the offender’s employment.
    • The absence of any viable alternative transport.
    • Sickness or infirmity of the offender or another person.

In an ordinary case of a second or subsequent high range PCA offence:

  • An order under section 9 of the Sentencing Act will rarely be appropriate.
  • An order under section 10 of the Sentencing Act would very rarely be appropriate.
  • Where the prior offence was a high range PCA, any sentence of less severity than a community service order would generally be inappropriate.

The moral culpability of a high range PCA offender is increased by:

  • The number of prior PCA offences.
  • The degree of intoxication above 0.15.
  • Erratic or aggressive driving.
  • A collision between the vehicle and any other object.
  • Competitive driving or showing off.
  • The length of the journey at which others are exposed to risk.
  • The number of persons actually put at risk by the driving.

In a case where the moral culpability of a high range PCA offender is increased:

  • An order under s 9 or section 10 of the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act would very rarely be appropriate.
  • Where a number of factors of aggravation are present to a significant degree a sentence of any less severity than imprisonment of some kind including a suspended sentence, would generally be inappropriate.

In a case where the moral culpability of the offender of a second or subsequent high range PCA offence is increased:

  • A sentence of any less severity than imprisonment of some kind would generally be inappropriate.
  • Where any number of aggravating factors are present to a significant degree or where the prior offence is a high range PCA offence, a sentence of less severity than full-time imprisonment would generally be inappropriate.

What will my traffic lawyer do to prepare my case?

To prepare your case to the highest standard and speak on your behalf, evidence supporting submissions on the above factors are usually supplied to your traffic lawyer. They are then tendered to the court. Examples of evidence that may assist in an Appeal includes:

  • Certificate of completion of the Traffic Offenders Program.
  • References from employers, family members and health professionals stating why you have a need for a driver’s licence e.g. for work, to pick up and drop off children from school, a chronic back condition, etc.
  • Employment contracts stating that having a driver’s licence is a condition of employment.
  • Medical documentation about any medical conditions you or members of your family have.
  • Trip planner documents showing geographic isolation or unavailability of public transport from your residential address to your place of employment.
  • A letter of apology or affidavit stating what happened.

Do I need references?

We believe references are an extremely important part of a plea of guilty in court. To find out more about how to write a good reference, click here.

What are the defences to drink driving offences?

You may plead not guilty to a Drink driving offence if the following defences can be established:

  • Disputing the Blood Alcohol reading – The offence of drink driving relates to your blood alcohol content when you drive the car, not when you are breath tested. It takes about 30 minutes for the police to arrest you and take you to the police station for a second, more accurate test. In this time, it is normal for your blood alcohol level to go up or down. It follows that the reading recorded by police may not be a good representation of your blood alcohol content at the time of driving. By referring your case to a pharmacologist we may be able to obtain evidence that, although you were over the limit at the time of your breath analysis, you were not over the limit at the time you drove or, if you were, you were at a lower range than charged e.g. low range rather than mid-range.
  • Home safe rule – The law prohibits the police from demanding a breath test of a driver at their home. If you are breath tested on your own property, the evidence of the blood alcohol reading is inadmissible, and the charges are dismissed.
  • Breath analysis not taken within two hours of driving – The police are required to prove that you had the blood alcohol concentration alleged at the time you were driving. The law requires that the breath analysis occurred within two hours of driving. Where the police test a person more than two hours after they drove a car, the evidence of the blood alcohol reading is inadmissible, and the charges are dismissed.
  • Honest and reasonable mistake of fact – This defence is available, however, Magistrates are extremely hesitant to uphold it for public policy reasons. The reasonableness element of the offence is applied stringently. This defence states that you are not guilty of a drink driving offence if at the time of driving you held an honest belief that you were under the limit and it was reasonable for you to hold that belief in all of the circumstances. Examples of where this defence may be run are cases where people drive the ‘morning after’ thinking the alcohol is out of their system or where they have followed the prior RTA directive in relation to alcohol consumption and driving (two standard drinks in the first hour and one every hour after).

Why choose Australian Criminal Law Group?

Our criminal lawyers are experts at obtaining the best outcome possible for drink driving offences, including no convictions. For these offences, a good lawyer can be the difference between a conviction and no criminal record, losing your licence or keeping it, and freedom or jail. To read more about Australian Criminal Law Group, click here.

To discuss your Drink driving charge, call Australian Criminal Law Group at our Sydney, Parramatta, and Blacktown offices or make a website inquiry today.

Case Study

Mr Correy represented a woman charged with High Range PCA. She was stopped speeding in a street. Mr Correy put forward to the Magistrate that she only drove the car to escape a threat of domestic violence. She was stopped less than 100 metres from where her partner had attempted to assault her. The Magistrate accepted the reason for her driving and dismissed the charge under section 10 and did not record a conviction. 

Case Study 

Mr Adut appeared for a man who was charged with High Range PCA and had five drink driving offences on his record, including two High Range PCA offences. Mr Adut took the matter to the District Court and ran a section 32 application. This was on the basis that his client was self-medicating to address his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The judge found the circumstances to be exceptional and dismissed the charge pursuant to s 32 without recording a conviction. 

Case Study

Mr Harb represented a driver charged with High Range PCA. The driver was breath tested by police in his driveway. Mr Harb argued the ‘Home Safe’ defence and the magistrate dismissed the charge with a finding of not guilty.

Case Study

Mr Harb represented a driver charged with High Range PCA. There had been a minor accident that delayed the breath testing because the police were not immediately called. The police alleged that the breath test was done about 1 hour and 45 minutes after the driving/accident. Mr Harb argued that there was room for error in the estimate of time between the driving/accident in the breath test. He argued that the court could not find beyond reasonable doubt that the breath test was done within two hours of the driving. The magistrate dismissed the charge with a finding of not guilty.

Case Study

Mr Harb acted for three drink driving sentences in one day. Two for Mid-Range PCA and one for Low Lange PCA. The court dealt with each of the matters under section 10 and did not record a conviction, meaning his three clients did not lose their licence.

Case Study

Mr Correy appeared for a client charged with Mid-Range PCA. He had been stopped driving the morning after going out drinking with his family. The Magistrate accepted that Mr Correy’s client was unaware he was over the limit at the time he drove the car and did not record a conviction, meaning his client did not lose their licence. 

Case Study 

Australian Criminal Law Group represented a man charged with Driving under the influence, assaulting police and resisting arrest. The police relied on evidence from a roadside breath test that showed he had a blood alcohol concentration of more than 0.450. When our client was told of the reading, he protested his innocence and refused to attend the police station. In the process he assaulted and resisted police. Our solicitor argued at a defended hearing that the reading was preposterously high, and our client would not have been able to communicate or interact with the police with such a high reading. Medical evidence was put forward that a reading so high would require hospitalization for alcohol poisoning and could have resulted in death. The Magistrate accepted that the conduct of our client against the reading on the breath testing machine meant that the machine was undoubtedly broken. The magistrate dismissed the driving under the influence charge and held the arrest to be illegal and dismissed the assault police and resist arrest charges as well. Our client is now suing the police for unlawful imprisonment and malicious prosecution.

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