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GAZETTE
OCTOBER 1996
Defending a charge of dangerous
driving - a reminder and update
by Robert Pierse*
S o l i c i t o rs are r e g u l a r ly c a l l ed o n to
d e f e n d p r o s e c u t i o ns u n d er S e c t i on 5 1 A
( d r i v i ng w i t h o ut d u e c o n s i d e r a t i o n ),
S e c t i on 5 2 ( c a r e l e ss d r i v i n g) a nd
S e c t i on 5 3 ( d a n g e r o us d r i v i n g) of t he
Road Traffic Acts 1961/95.
In view of
t he s e r i o us c o n s e q u e n t i al
d i s q u a l i f i c a t i on that n o w a t t a c h es to a
c o n v i c t i on f o r d a n g e r o us d r i v i ng it is
o p p o r t u ne to c l o s e ly c o n s i d er S e c t i on
5 3, w h i c h in its p r e s e nt f o r m r e a ds
as f o l l o w s:
"A person shall not drive a vehicle in
a public place in a manner (including
speed) which, having regard to all
the circumstances of the case
(including the condition of the
vehicle, the nature, condition and use
of the place and the amount of traffic
which then actually is or might
reasonably be expected then to be
therein), is dangerous to the public".
Ingredients of Section 53
T h e r e are a n u m b e r of initial
' i n g r e d i e n t s' to t he S e c t i on 5 3 o f f e n ce
that m u s t b e e s t a b l i s h ed by the
p r o s e c u t i o n. A c c o r d i n g l y, o n r e c e i pt of
i n s t r u c t i o ns to d e f e nd a c h a r ge or
s u m m o n s u n d er the s e c t i o n, a solicitor
s h o u ld c h e ck t he f o l l o w i n g:
(i) the
person
(is the defendant
p r o p e r ly i d e n t i f i e d ? );
(ii) t he
vehicle
(is t he v e h i c le i n v o l v ed
c o r r e c t ly i d e n t i f i e d ? );
(iii) t he
driving
(is t h e re e v i d e n ce that
t he n a m e d d e f e n d a nt w a s the
d r i v e r ? );
(iv) t he
place
(did t he d r i v i ng t a ke p l a ce
in a
public place?);
(v) t he
arrest
(if t h e re w a s an arrest,
w a s it c a r r i ed o ut c o r r e c t l y ?) a n d,
(vi) t he
initiation
p r o c e d u r es ( w a s t h e re
c o m p l i a n ce w i th p r o p er p r o c e d u r es
r e g a r d i ng t he c h a r g i ng of t he
d e f e n d a nt or, if b y s u m m o n s
r e g a r d i ng s e r v i ce of a N o t i ce of
I n t e n t i on to P r o s e c u te - if n o
f o r m al w a r n i ng g i v en at t he s c e ne
a n d r e g a r d i ng the m a k i n g of a
Robert Pierse
c o m p l a i nt to a District C o u rt j u d g e
o r clerk a nd the s e r v i ce of the
s u mm o n s ?)
In o r d er to c h e c k the e x i s t e n ce or
o t h e r w i se of t h e se i n g r e d i e n ts it is w i se
that a d e t a i l ed s t a t e m e nt is o b t a i n ed
f r o m the d e f e n d a nt client at t he outset.
There are also
more substantive
' i n g r e d i e n t s' to b e c o n s i d e r ed w h e n
p r e p a r i ng to d e f e n d a S e c t i on 5 3 c h a r ge
of d a n g e r o us d r i v i n g, as f o l l o w s:
(a)
Manner of Driving :
T h i s is the c e n t r al t h r u st of S e c t i on 5 3
as the p r o s e c u t i on m u st p r o ve b e y o nd
r e a s o n a b le d o u bt that t he m a n n e r of
d r i v i ng by the d e f e n d a nt h as r e s u l t ed in
d a n g er to t he p u b l i c. In the Au s t r a l i an
c a s e of
R-v-Hain
2 N S W R 1 4 2 it w a s
stated that t h e re m u s t b e an act or
o m i s s i on w i th r e f e r e n ce to t he
m a n a g e m e nt of t he v e h i c le b y the
d e f e n d a nt w h i c h in the c i r c u m s t a n c es
results in a d a n g e r o us m a n n e r of
d r i v i n g. A l s o, see (e) b e l o w.
(b)
Speed:
The Road Traffic Act, 1968
inserted the
w o r d s " i n c l u d i ng s p e e d" in S e c t i on 53.
S p e e d o b v i o u s ly w o u l d h a v e a s t r o ng
i n f l u e n ce on a j u d g e ' s m i n d o n w h e t h er
to c o n v i ct f o r d a n g e r o us d r i v i n g. T h e
d e g r ee of s p e ed w o u l d be c o n s i d e r ed
h a v i ng r e g a rd to t he p a r t i c u l ar location
- w h at m i g ht b e " s p e e d" in a b u i l t - up
a r ea m i g ht not b e " s p e e d" o n a d u al
c a r r i a g e w a y. It s h o u ld b e n o t ed that
c o m p l i a n ce w i th the s p e ed limits a l o ne
is not a d e f e n c e. H o w e v e r, the lack of
s p e ed m a y n e g a te the c o n d i t i on of the
v e h i c le as an i n c r i m i n a t i ng d a n g e r o us
c i r c u m s t a n c e, s u ch as w h e r e the v e h i c le
h a s p o or b r a k e s. T h e d i f f i c u l ty in
p r o v i ng s p e ed is r e c o g n i s ed by S e c t i on
105 of the 1961 A ct in that t he
u n c o r r o b o r a t ed e v i d e n ce of o n e w i t n e ss
e x p r e s s i ng his o p i n i on on s p e ed is not
s u f f i c i e n t.
(c)
Condition of the Vehicle:
T h e " c o n d i t i on of the v e h i c l e" as a
r e l e v a nt i n g r e d i e nt w a s (like " s p e e d ")
a d d ed to S e c t i on 5 3 by the 1968 Ac t. It
is a d v i s a b l e, w h e r e t h e re is a ny
i n d i c a t i on in t he i n s t r u c t i o ns r e c e i v ed
that the c o n d i t i on of the v e h i c le m a y b e
an integral f a c t o r, to h a v e the v e h i c le
i n s p e c t ed by a m o t o r a s s e s s o r, as a
p o s i t i ve a s s e s s o r 's o p i n i on o n
" c o n d i t i o n" c an c o u n t e r b a l a n ce a
c o n t r a ry o p i n i on e x p r e s s ed by a p u b l ic
s e r v i ce v e h i c le i n s p e c t o r.
(d)
Place:
T h e c i r c u m s t a n c es of the p a r t i c u l ar
place
c o n s t i t u te a n o t h er i n g r e d i e nt of
S e c t i on 53. T h e s e c i r c u m s t a n c es c an be
s u b - d i v i d ed as f o l l o w s:
(i) The
nature or condition of the
place
, w h e t h er at a c r o ss r o a ds or
at a b e n d etc., as well as the size
a nd w i d th a nd the t y pe (e.g.
c o n c r e t e, t a r m a c a d am etc.) of r o a d,
c an b e r e l e v a nt as m i t i g a t i ng or
e x a c e r b a t i ng f a c t o r s. T h e fact that
r o ad c o n d i t i o ns are b ad as a result
of f e a t u r es s u ch as frost, m u d ,
floods, r o ad r e p a i rs or o t h er
t e m p o r a ry o b s t r u c t i o ns m a y h a ve a
s i g n i f i c a nt b e a r i ng o n w h e t h er t he
d r i v i ng is f o u n d to b e d a n g e r o u s.
(ii) T h e
use of the place,
as w h a t m i g ht
c o n s t i t u te d a n g e r o us d r i v i ng o n a
b u s y street in a city or t o wn m i g ht
not d o s o o n a c o u n t ry r o a d. If an
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