Fines for excessive speed, drug and alcohol offences are different from other fines – they are more serious.

They may result in:

• driver licence cancellation or suspension
• a conviction.

A conviction will be recorded 28 days from the Infringement Notice issue date on your fine, unless you object. If you were not responsible for the offence, you should act before that date. If you don't act, your offence will appear on your criminal record.

Excessive speed

You will be issued with an excessive speeding fine if you are caught driving 25km or more above the speed limit, or driving at more than 130km if the speed limit is 110km.

If you do not act within 28 days of the notice issue date, your driver licence will be suspended, or in some cases it will be cancelled. The length of the suspension will be determined by how serious your offence is (e.g. how much above the speed limit you drove).

If you weren't driving the vehicle at that time, you must tell us who was driving within 28 days to avoid your licence being suspended or cancelled.

Drink-driving

If you're caught driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over the legal limit, you'll be issued with a drink-driving fine. Depending on your BAC, Victoria Police may suspend your licence immediately.

Visit VicRoads to learn more about legal BAC levels.

If you don't act within 28 days of the notice issue date, your driver licence will be suspended or, in some cases, cancelled.

Drug-driving

If you test positive to a proscribed drug at a roadside drug test, you'll be issued with a drug-driving fine.

If you don't act within 28 days of the notice issue date, your driver licence will be suspended.

You can be issued a drug-driving penalty for:

• testing positive to the presence of a proscribed drug while driving
• testing positive to the presence of a proscribed drug while supervising a learner driver

If Victoria Police believes that you are driving while impaired by other drugs, they may undertake a preliminary assessment of physical factors, such as your behaviour, balance and coordination. You may then be asked to undertake a blood test which will detect any substances that you have used. There is a separate charge for driving while impaired that also carries severe penalties.

Visit VicRoads to learn more about drug-driving penalties.

Disputing an excessive speed, drink or drug-driving fine

If you've been issued a fine for excessive speed, drink or drug-driving, and you want to object, you must act quickly.

You have 28 days to deal with your fine before your licence is suspended or cancelled.

To dispute your fine, you can have your matter heard in court.