Queensland

Just when we thought we were in the clear from the dreaded coronavirus, it reared its ugly head again in New South Wales and Victoria in late 2020 and in Queensland in early 2021, wreaking havoc on holiday plans across the country. Many people – including several CarAdvice team members – were forced to do a last-minute dash across the border in order to avoid being locked out of their home state when case numbers began to increase in NSW, Queensland and Victoria.

How much you pay for your car insurance can be influenced by a wide range of factors, but one key element driving up premiums that you might not even be aware of is your suburb's vehicle theft and crime rate. September 2020 data from the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council (NVMTRC) found national vehicle theft increased by 2 per cent in 2020, with a total of 56,312 cars stolen around the country between 2019 and 2020.

We've covered our fair share of custom number plates – from those emblazoned with emojis to those accused of promoting speeding – but a recent reader enquiry on the topic left us stumped. Typically, the personalised plate divisions of each state road authority will exercise their own judgement when discerning whether a particular application will be deemed inappropriate or unlawful.

Western Australia is joining Queensland in implementing steeper fines and harsher penalties for motorists using their mobile phone while driving. From July 1, 2020, an on-the-spot fine of $1000 and four demerit points will apply to the offence of texting, emailing, using social media, watching videos or accessing the internet while driving. The current penalty for driver phone use in WA is a $400 fine and three demerit points.

The world-first mobile phone detection cameras recently launched in New South Wales caught more than 3300 people using their phones while driving in their first week of operation – but the drivers caught will only be warned, not fined. A total of 3303 drivers were caught using fixed and trailer-mounted phone-detection cameras in New South Wales between December 1 and December 7.