On-road lawbreakers on the rise, statistics show

THE number of people fronting Australia’s court system on traffic and vehicle-related offences has reached its highest level in more than three years, the Australian Bureau of Statistics says.

Road-related offences accounted for 223,286 appearances, or more than one in every three court cases concluded in 2015-16 – up by almost 10,900, or five percent, over the previous financial year – making them the most common offences committed.

Overall, the number of cases settled before the courts last year rose three percent, bolstered largely by the bigger number of road-related offences.

The ABS said 223,286 defendants had their road-related case heard and settled last financial year, with almost two out of every three fronting court on offences such as drink or drug driving, breaking speed limits or committing parking offences.

For those motorists going to court, the outcome wasn’t good. The ABS reported 93 percent of road-related court cases ended with a guilty verdict, second only behind the 94 percent guilty rate for those committing “dangerous or negligent acts endangering persons”.

Thankfully, though, the big bump in numbers appears to be part of police campaigns to remove drivers under the influence of mind-altering substances from our roads.

“The increase [in court appearances] in 2015-16 was driven by an increase in the offence ‘exceed the prescribed content of alcohol or other substance limit’ (19 percent or 11,373 defendants), specifically drug-driving offences, and was particularly evident in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia,” the ABS said.

“Police annual reports for these jurisdictions indicate there has been an increased focus on targeting driving while under the influence of drugs.”

More than 18,000 people appeared in court on speeding charges, down on the 19,610 called to explain themselves to the judge 2011-12. Only 78,369 appeared to defend driver’s licence infringements, well down on the 98,138 posted in 2008-09.

Vehicle registration and roadworthiness offences, meanwhile, have been in steady decline since the 27,919 posted in 2008-09 to just 8442 last financial year.

NSW, Australia’s most populous state, recorded the highest number of traffic and vehicle-related offences at 61,024. Queensland was next with 58,303, and Victoria was third with 47,580. ACT – with a population of about 400,000, recorded the lowest number of offences at 2363.