New Driving Laws in Queensland, Australia - Essay Example

New driving laws in Queensland, Australia What are the relevant legislations impacting this issue? Please outline the major provisions of the various Acts and their relevance to the issue. Licensing Laws in Australia for a drivers license differ among states and territories, but most of the involvement of a similar procedure and a graduated licensing system Queensland Learner License. Nomenclature varies between states and territories in Australia between the driver s license and drivers license "Learner Queensland License. The minimum age for a learners license Driver on the ACT is 15 years and 9 months Students Queensland License. A series of steps have to follow for clearing the test. Drivers in Australia require a valid drivers license. Licenses from other countries may be accepted for limited stays in Australia; details vary by State. Typically, foreign licenses in English are considered valid for driving in Australia for visitors with visitors visas. In other cases, an International Driving Permit is required, issued in your home country before arrival in Australia. Also, you are permitted to drive an American (left-hand drive) car in Australia, providing that you have the license to do so. Use of seat belts is compulsory in Australia for drivers and all vehicle passengers, and infants must be secured with approved safety capsules and harnesses. Seatbelt laws are strictly enforced, and the onus is on the driver to ensure all passengers are buckled in. Penalties apply to the driver of the vehicle, and include demerit points, license suspension, and heavy fines. The road rules are strictly enforced in Australia, especially speed limits. Speed limits vary depending on road conditions, area and State. Speed limits change at regular intervals so keep an eye out for them. The road rules are strictly enforced in Australia, especially speed limits. Speed limits vary depending on road conditions, area and State. Speed limits change at regular intervals so keep an eye out for them. Under no circumstances should you drive while under the influence of alcohol in Australia. Police conduct random breath tests along major routes, both in cities and in the country. A driver does not have to be driving suspiciously, nor do they need to have committed any driving offence to be stopped by police for a random breath test. Drunken driving offences are considered serious. Penalties include demerit points, license suspension, hefty fines, and imprisonment. Refusing a random breath test is an arrestable offence and severe penalties apply. In Australia, a Blood Alcohol Concentration limit of 0.05% applies in all States and Territories. Special limits may apply to certain driver types, such as learner drivers, public taxi and bus drivers, heavy vehicle/dangerous goods drivers. Random drug testing is also in place in Queensland. What confidentiality and privacy issues may arise? What are the procedures to deal with them? Privacy and confidentiality of any issue is very important because it tell about the future plans. How the plans are formulated and how they are taken into action. But it is not necessary that every issue has some or the other private or confidential matter in it. It depends upon the secrecy of the department and work carried in it. The laws are made to reveal themselves because this is the only way of working on them. When they are exposed fully they will gain Yes and No’s of every individual. They are not like the documents of the defense which should be kept under lock and key. Their exposure is their true victory. Laws and acts are meant for those who dare and act on them. Only the thing that is to be kept in mind is that they should not be misused or misguided by anybody. Dealing with such issues is a farthest concept which comes afterwards, when it is decided the matter is private or not. What impact and influence can the Department use to gain support for the change to the legislation? One phrase is quite popular -“self help is the best help”. This is true in every sense and situation. The department has to make its own strategy to implement the plan because it is on their part to make it or leave it. Support of anyone is not so beneficial or progressive because police department is the only department in the world which converts plans into actions. Orders are made from the top and finally executed at the bottom. The department should make a list of officers who are to be involved in this work. Secondly, they should be distributed area wise and locality wise. Thirdly they should be given special rights of punishing the offensive. Fourthly they should be kept in touch. Fifthly they should be called after regular intervals of time and statistical report made; area wise should be presented to the high officials. This sequence will help in smooth work flow and thus knowing the success ratio exactly and precisely. What communication strategies can the Department use to gain support for the change to the legislation? Law that is to be implemented should be communicated with great care because it is always the first and the last impression that anything leaves on the public. It should be done with vision and mission. Once the public is satisfied with the law, it will follow it automatically and immediately. They will find their own benefit in it. Firstly the public should understand the law properly and to see their good future in it. Law should be presented in such a way that it felt like no body is under any pressure of following it. Every body should equally enjoy it like a right and not like penalty. Some strategies are:- Printing the details of the law in the newspaper Telecasting it on the television Broadcasting it on to the radio Giving articles about it in the magazines Through SMS alerts on mobile phones Giving small snippets on the internet Interpersonal communication through Toll- free telephone numbers Communication should be done in such a way that it should attract the public at once. The mission of the communication should be well explained either did with any strategy. The impact that it made on the public is the true image of the law in their mind and soul. Either they will fully accept this law or they will reject it and try to break it as soon as possible. They should understand the value of the law of the country and give respect to it in real sense. How will the Police, the Courts, and the correctional facilities be affected by this change to the law in Queensland? Any law that is amended or changed to resolve some serious problems cause some or the other contradictions between the departments of the concerned law and responsible authorities. They have to see all the merits and demerits of enforcing that law or taking some actions on it. New laws are something like sample tests at their initial stage which only shows how much success ratio has been gathered after implementing it for few months. Firstly, police and the concerned authorities have to change their way of working as every where same methodology cannot be applied. Secondly, the main effect is on the citizens of the country. So they have to cooperate with each other. No one is greater or less. This will surely help in reducing the road accidents and to minimize the risk of life because life is the most precious of god to us. But as it is always said that good comes with the bad. So raising the driving age to 21 years does not mean the roads are drunker free. Drinking alcohols and driving is a serious issue in any country. This cannot be solving by raising the age limit. Another issue is breaking the safety rules of the road and driving harshly or even driving without license or permit. So the main duty is of traffic police and courts to apply such laws or to take in action such laws which will fully deplete these risks and does giving assurance of life to the public. It is the responsibility of the higher authorities to keep a dog watch on the public, who is breaking the rule and why i.e. for what reasons. They have to maintain the records of such people and charge fine on their vehicles and even giving punishment to them. Police can also maintain the statistical record of road mortality rate if a year and compare it with the previous year so as to know which law is more successfully applied and followed and finally taking out all the weak points of the amended law and thus taking corrective action on it. So as to re-implement it in near future. Read More