Repeat and serious offenders face tougher penalties under the new road safety laws. Photo: StreetSmarts, Queensland Government.
Queensland’s Crisafulli Government is delivering stronger road safety regulations in an effort to target dangerous drivers and reduce the risk on the roads for motorists and pedestrians.
The Criminal Code (Dangerous Driving) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 strengthened penalties and put accountability and victims’ rights first, instead of offenders’ rights, the government said.
The Transport and Other Legislation Amendment Bill (2026) targets behaviour that causes the greatest harm on Queensland’s roads, and is also backed by tougher penalties.
The former bill will repeal existing dangerous driving offences, replacing them with a framework the government said was stronger and clearer, with four categories of offending covering both motor and non-motor vehicles.
“Dangerous drivers and violent offenders are putting lives at risk, and these changes ensure the consequences match that behaviour,” Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Minister for Integrity Deb Frecklington said.
“By increasing penalties and prioritising victims, these reforms strike the right balance — holding offenders to account while helping prevent the devastating impacts dangerous driving can have on our families and communities.”
Other reforms being introduced include:
- Increasing minimum licence disqualification periods, with stricter consequences for offences involving grievous bodily harm or death, repeat offending and aggravated offending.
- Expanding mandatory imprisonment requirements for serious and repeat dangerous drivers, meaning jail sentences apply in more circumstances.
- Increasing maximum penalties for motor vehicle offences, including up to five or seven years of imprisonment where no death of grievous bodily harm is caused and up to 16 or 25 years where death or grievous bodily harm occurs.
Additionally, the Transport and Other Legislation Amendment Bill (2026) targets dangerous behaviour such as drink and drug driving, failure to wear a seatbelt and extreme speeding. It also provides councils with clearer powers when managing local issues such as parking, safety and access.
The Crisafulli Government will continue its zero-tolerance approach to drug driving, which includes those driving under the influence of cannabis from a medical prescription.
The government said this was an evidence-based approach informed by experts, enforcement trends, crash data and community expectations on road safety.
From 1 December, the following reforms will take effect:
- Stronger penalties for combined drink and drug-driving offences, targeting highly dangerous behaviour.
- Doubled penalties for drug driving, including higher fines and longer licence disqualifications.
- Court-imposed fine minimums to ensure penalties match the seriousness of offences.
- Better seatbelt enforcement, meaning drivers can nominate adult passengers, so the right person is held accountable.
- An immediate six-month licence suspension for drivers caught going more than 40 kilometres per hour over the speed limit.
Reforms slated to roll out in 2027 include:
- Introduction of mandatory drug-driving education to reduce repeat offending.
- Streamlining of the roadside drug-testing system, allowing for faster enforcement and more tests.
- Better enforcement of camera-detected seatbelt offences.
These reforms are part of the Crisafulli Government’s broader law-and-order agenda, which has been its top priority since winning government in 2024.
Minister for Transport and Main Roads Brent Mickelberg said: “The reality is drug driving has overtaken drink driving as the leading cause of motor vehicle deaths. More than 60 per cent of drug-driving fatalities had THC in their system.
“The road toll has been trending up in Queensland for a long time, and these laws send a clear message that if you choose to drive dangerously, there will be serious consequences.”
