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Bad drivers to recommend their own punishment

Victoria, the state with the harshest penalties towards speeding and disqualified driving has, in an unusual move, requested the help of disqualified and lawless drivers to come up with new punishments against themselves.


The Victoria's Sentencing Advisory Council (SAC) has asked drivers who have shown a disregard to the traffic laws to share with them why they drive while disqualified or suspended, and what the government can do to prevent them.

To qualify for the focus groups, you must have either lost your licence through demerit points or driving under the influence. Not everyday that criteria can be useful for anything except jail!

SAC will begin with newspaper advertisements to recruit the 'bad drivers'. All costs will be paid by SAC, who is expected to recommended new punishments to the State Government within the next 12 months.

If you're interested, you will have more luck if you're a young male, aged between 20-24 as that age bracket forms the highest risk group among disqualified drivers.

Statistics show that disqualified drivers tend to break other driving laws as well, partially due to their "nothing-to-lose-attitude" whilst also being involved in a proportionately higher number of road crashes than licensed drivers.

"We want to know what motivates them, what might deter them and what they think of the fairness of driving laws, if people think the laws are unfair, they are more likely to disobey them." SAC chairman Arie Freiberg said

Victoria is currently the only state that imposes a mandatory jail sentence of one month for repeat disqualified or suspended drivers, a law which SAC has already recommended abolishing due to potential explosion in Victoria's jail population.

SAC now recommends impounding more vehicles, licence restrictions and compulsory rehabilitation courses instead of jail terms.

If you have driven with a disqualified or suspended license, what were your reasons?

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