Driving Furiously, Recklessly or at a Speed or in a Manner Dangerous

Our expert criminal lawyers for driving furiously, recklessly, or at a dangerous speed or in a dangerous manner offence can help you:

• Obtain bail.
• Be found not guilty.
• Receive a lenient sentence, like no conviction and no prison.

You will be represented by a team of award-winning criminal lawyers, with 500+ five-star Google reviews, who offer fixed fees and free first consultations.

You can read our reviews here.

Driving furiously, recklessly or at a speed or in a manner dangerous

Driving furiously, recklessly or at a speed or in a manner dangerous is an offence where the criminality of the offending can vary greatly depending on what is alleged.

We fight for you if you are charged with Dangerous driving 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 last resort. 

Pleading not guilty 

You will be found not guilty of the offence of driving furiously, recklessly or at a speed or in a manner dangerous if the police cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt:

• You drove a motor vehicle; 
• Furiously or recklessly or at a speed or in a manner dangerous to the public; and
• On a road or road related area.

Reckless driving is not merely driving without due care and attention but driving in a manner that creates an obvious and serious risk of causing physical injury to any other road user or substantial damage to property. A reckless driver drives in such a manner without giving any thought to the risk or, having recognised that it exists, nevertheless takes the risk.

Driving at a speed or manner dangerous imports a quality in the speed or manner of driving which either intrinsically in all circumstances, or because of the particular circumstances surrounding the driving, is in a real sense potentially dangerous to a human being or human beings who, as a member or as members of the public may be upon or in the vicinity of the roadway on which the driving is taking place.

You can read more information about pleading not guilty here.

Pleading guilty

If you agree that you have committed the offence and the police are able to prove so, it is best to plead guilty. You will normally receive a discount on sentence, and it will demonstrate remorse and contrition. Alternatively, it may be the case that one of our experienced solicitors can negotiate with prosecutors for you to plead guilty to less serious facts or even a less serious charge.

The maximum penalty for the offence of Driving furiously, recklessly, or at a speed or in a manner dangerous is a fine of $2200.00, imprisonment for 9 months, or both (for a first offence). The minimum disqualification period is 12 months, and the automatic disqualification period is 3 years.

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

You can read more about pleading guilty here.

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 is usually supplied to your traffic lawyer and then tendered to the court. Examples of evidence that may assist in an appeal include:

• 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. Read about court processes and how to write a good character reference.

Contact Australian Criminal Law Group

Our criminal lawyers, with 500+ five-star Google reviews, can beat a driving furiously, recklessly, or at a dangerous speed or in a dangerous manner charge, or obtain a lenient sentence for you if you plead guilty.

Call us on (02) 8815 8167 for your free first conference or submit a website enquiry.

Case Studies 

Section 32 application

Our lawyer represented an 18-year-old charged with Driving in a dangerous manner and Driving whilst disqualified. It was his fourth Drive whilst disqualified offence, and the driving involved nearly running over a group of friends in a drag race. Our lawyer tendered a psychological report and made a section 32 application. He argued the 18-year-old had a history of depression that had been treated following his prior incident of offending. Our lawyer further argued that there had been a relapse in his mental condition following a tragic accident involving a family member. The Magistrate agreed there was a causal link between the offending and the depression. He dismissed the charge pursuant to section 32, and the 18-year-old was able to keep his licence.

No jail time

Our lawyer represented a client who was charged with two police pursuits within a matter of weeks. The police pursuits occurred during the day and in an area with many people. Our lawyer convinced the magistrate to give his client a good behaviour bond and a one-year disqualification. 

Not guilty

Our lawyer represented a driver who pleaded not guilty to the offence of police pursuit. The police alleged the pursuit was over a short distance. Our lawyer argued that whilst the driver had been driving dangerously prior to the police commencing the pursuit. He stopped as soon as he could, following the police activating their sirens. It was argued that the delay in stopping was due to safety concerns. The Magistrate agreed and found the client not guilty. 

Charges dismissed 

Our lawyer represented a man charged with fleeing from police. The car involved in the police chase was found dumped in a side street. Our client was found in close proximity to the car. Our lawyer argued that his presence in the vicinity of the car’s location was insufficient to prove he was the driver. On the day of his hearing, the magistrate dismissed the charge.