POLICE will be able to immediately disqualify licences to get dangerous drivers off Canberra roads more quickly, according to a road-safety Bill before the Legislative Assembly.

If passed, the Road Safety Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 will mean a driver’s licence could be immediately suspended for excessive speeds of greater than 45km/h, or for refusing an oral fluid sample for the purposes of drug testing, or for reckless or furious driving.

“The legislation also means drivers repeatedly caught street racing could face an imprisonment for the first time as well as significantly increased fines of up to $16,000,” said Transport Minister Chris Steel.

“These are practical laws that give police the ability to seize and impound vehicles of dangerous drivers to get them and their vehicle off the road.”

Australian Federal Police Association president Alex Caruana said these new laws are practical and an excellent first step in combating the dangerous driving behaviours seen on ACT roads, while protecting the lives of other road users in the ACT.

“The new legislation and penalties are more substantial and aligned with other jurisdictions and, most importantly, community expectations,” said Caruana.

Attorney General Shane Rattenbury said the new package of reforms would ensure those participating in crimes by trespassing in motor vehicles would now be held to account, with a new offence created for being in a car when you shouldn’t be.

“We had received feedback from ACT Policing that there was a gap in the law, when they could prove a person had been present in someone else’s car, but couldn’t prove they had stolen it. This offence recognises that unauthorised entry to a motor vehicle is unacceptable and wrong, and there needs to be a legal response to it,” Rattenbury said.