On The Road

The changes to licence conditions starts on 1 July 2007 for all P1 drivers and provisional riders;
Zero tolerance for speeding – get caught speeding and you WILL lose your licence for 3 months, lose 4 points and cop a fine.

Passenger restrictions – if you’re under 25 you can only have 1 person under 21 years old in the car between 11pm & 5am, if you get caught its 3 points and a fine. There are some exceptions to this go to www.rta.nsw.gov.au/licensing/gettingalicence/200707_restrictions.html where you can get an exemption form but its still pretty strict conditions.

Mobile phones – No phone use at all, no hands free, loud speaker nothing at all while your engine is on. If you ever pull over to use your phone make sure that you have parked and take the keys out of the ignition. Even if you have pulled over but not turned of the engine you can get a fine and lose 3 points

L & P Plates – must be displayed on the outside of your vehicle don’t tuck them under your number plate because even if they are partly hidden you can lose 2 points and a fine

Prohibited Vehicles – this only came in July 2005, you cannot drive a vehicle that

• Has 8 or more cylinders
• Turbo charged or super charged engines – this even applies to stock cars like skylines
• Engine performance modifications – like extractors
• High performance 6 cylinders – you can get a full list of prohibited vehicles just click the link www.rta.nsw.gov.au/licensing/downloads/p1p2_conditions_dl1.html and for some light reading there’s 112 pages of 8 cylinder cars you can’t drive www.rta.nsw.gov.au/licensing/downloads/2006_eightcyclinder_guide.html

You can also get the road users had book on; www.rta.nsw.gov.au/licensing/downloads/gettitestsdrivieduca_dl1.html
Starting on 1 July 2007 you will need to complete 120 hours of supervised driving and hold your L’s for at least 12 months; this must include a minimum of 20 hours night driving.
It goes without saying DON”T ever get into a car if you think the driver may be under the influence of alcohol or any other drug.

Designated Drivers
It is not illegal for other passengers in a vehicle to have open bottles of alcohol or to make sure your mates get home safely; the DD will not be fined if pulled over as long as it complies with the new RTA laws.
Remember if you have a big night you can still be over the limit the next day, if you want to check yourself you can buy breath testers from a range of stores like Dick Smith or Tandy.

On A Train
Young people don’t always get a fair deal when it comes to transit officers, research done by YAPA has shown that young people are more likely to be questioned by transit officers, you can get a full list of transit officers what they can and can’t do at www.yapa.org.au/youth/topics/transport.php and a list of what you can get fined for at www.yapa.org.au/youth/facts/trainfines.pdf             or more info on www.iclc.org.au/fined_out

Sniffer Dogs
Although you may not see a sniffer dog in the Highlands if you are travelling into the city they are a lot more common. Police can use sniffer dogs to search randomly any where alcohol is served, on public transport and on train platforms or bus stations.
It pays to know your rights if you are approached by a sniffer dog.

1. Stay calm the dogs are highly trained and will not hurt you; if you swear or get upset you could get a fine or even arrested.
2. Be cooperative you can ask for the police officers name, rank and station and try to remember the exact location and time
3. If the dog sits down next to you this is the sign that it smells drugs. The police will ask if you are holding any sort of drugs.
4. If you have drugs you must give your name and address to the police, but you don’t have to say any thing else until you get legal advice.

Stop & Search
Police can stop and search you if they have reasonable cause; the most common reason that you would get searched is for drugs or weapons. If you are hanging out in a place where police have arrested someone else for drug dealing you might get stopped and searched, if you’ve done nothing wrong there is no need to worry.

Move Along
You can get asked to move along if you are;
1) Blocking people or traffic-if you’re hanging outside a shop entrance so that other people won’t go in
2) If it is suspected that you are selling or buying drugs,
3) If you are harassing or intimidating others-so stuff like yelling at people or swearing 
4) If your presence is likely to cause fear to a person of reasonable firmness-a large group of teenagers can be scary to older members of the community 

If you feel like you have been unfairly treated you can write to the Local Area Commander based at Camden Police station.

Security Guards
Cannot detain you unless they have witnessed you commit a crime for more information on security guards www.yapa.org.au/youth/facts/securityofficers.php

Free Legal Advice, Support & Info
If you do get in trouble with the Police and you are under 18 it is against the law for you to be questioned without an adult of your choice there, it can be a parent, youth worker, relative or a lawyer you can get. Write this number down and keep it somewhere safe in case you ever need it; Legal Aid Hotline for Under 18s
free confidential legal advice over the phone - under 18s can ring the NSW Legal Aid Hotline for Under 18s (open nights and weekends too) 1800 10 18 10

If you’ve got something to say about the legal system try out www.justiceyouth.blogspot.com  

Here is a list of good links for more info on legal stuff,
www.rlc.org.au                                    www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au
www.lawstuff.org.au                            www.lawaccess.nsw.gov.au
www.theshopfront.org

BREAKING THE LAW

Police have the options when dealing with young people aged under 18 years who break the law.  If you are stopped and questioned it is best to give police officer your details, you can ask for the officers name, if you feel that you have been treated unfairly you can make a complaint.

Warning
This is given by the police to the young offender on the spot. It might be used for things like trespassing or offensive language, so long as there have been no violent acts. Police take down your details like; name, age, address, contact phone number, you must give this information and it is best to use your real name, if police suspect you are not telling the truth you can be taken into custody.

Youth Cautions
Youth cautions are given to young people aged between 10 and 18 years who commit an offence. There is a limit on the number of cautions a young person can have and they are not used for serious or violent offences which will go through the either conferencing or court system. The purpose of cautions is for young offenders to be given the opportunity to accept responsibility for their behaviour and gain an understanding of how their actions affect the community.

Youth Conferencing
Is used for more serious offences like break and enter, assault, stealing. For the conferencing the offender must admit to the offence. It involves the offender meeting face to face with the victims; the aim of the meeting is to allow the offender to gain an understanding of exactly how their offence impacts on the victim, to take responsibility for their actions and to somehow try to make amends for the offence. The offender can have their family at the conference while the victim can have the police and legal representative attend, a neutral convenor from Department of Juvenile Justice runs the conference.
An outcome plan is developed which can include an apology to the victim, fixing something that was damaged, community service or counselling

If you are “Going to Court” seek legal advice

Try this link for more info www.yapa.org.au/openingdoors/juvenile_justice/index.php 

Parties
So the parents are out and you invite a few friends over for a few quite drinks, soon a few more mates under 18 have turned up and the music has gotten louder, then there is a knock at the door, a neighbour has called the police. You must give the police name and if you are cooperative with the police it will always work in your best interest. The police cannot enter the house unless,

• they have concerns for the welfare of a person under 18, so if there is 4 guys and 1 girl police would have reason to be worried about the girls safety
• they suspect that there is criminal activity taking place so if there is evidence of drug use, stolen property that sort of thing
• you invite them in

If you are having a party it is best to let the local police know in case something goes wrong like fights that involve a large group, gate crashers you can get a party safe pack form the local police station. You can also register your party on line at www.myynite.com.au

You can get the NSW Police Youth Policy Statement from HERE