Competent Experts can help you Dispute the Fine or Explore legal Alternatives
An infringement notice is sent to the offender through post, email or by means of a ticket issued to the individual. Seeking the advice of experienced criminal lawyers can help you dispute the fine or penalty imposed by the court. An infringement notice will usually be sent to the person under whose name the vehicle is registered. In case the vehicle is under joint ownership, the notice will be sent to the person listed first on the registration form. Infringement notices are usually issued for traffic offences that include illegal parking, speeding or toll evasion.
An infringement notice will typically contain a number of details including date and time of the offence, location of the offence, the legal speed limit as well as the detected speed limit of your vehicle (in case of speeding violations) and the number of licence demerits expected to be added to your driving history.
Read on for some important facts about traffic infringement notices issued under Australian law:
- The recipient should take appropriate action regarding the infringement notice within a period of 28 days.
- You may choose to pay the fine in full. In this case, the demerits related to the offence will be appended to your driver’s licence history.
- You may also opt to dispute the offence in a court. In such cases, the recipient needs to contact the specific agency that issued the infringement notice. For example, if you have received a speeding notice, you will need to contact the Traffic Camera Office for further information. If you wish to request the Magistrates Court to hear your case, you must write a letter containing full details including your full name, date of birth, address, phone number and so on.
- If the fine is in excess of $200, you can either request to pay the amount in instalments or perform community service in lieu of the fine. However, this can be done only if the request is approved by the court. Various factors such as age of the offender, financial circumstances, income and so on may be considered before the court makes a decision.
If the recipient fails to pay the fine within the stipulated time limit (28 days), he or she will receive a reminder from the State Debt Recovery Office. While it’s always stressful to receive an infringement notice asking you to pay a fine, it may be even more worrisome if the amount is steep (this will depend on the nature of the traffic offence). In such cases, you may wish to consult a legal expert who will help you examine the different legal options available for your case.