30km/h Over on Your Ps in Queensland: Will You Lose Your Licence? The Fine, Points, and P1 1-Point Rule Worked Out
Short answer: yes — almost certainly. Getting caught 30km/h over the limit on a Queensland P1 licence is a 4 demerit point offence, and a P1 licence is suspended once you reach 4 or more points in any 1-year period. So this one ticket hits the threshold on its own. You'll be sent a "notice to choose," and your realistic options are a 3-month suspension or a 1-year good driving behaviour period. Here's exactly how the numbers work, with a full worked example.
The one-ticket problem, in plain numbers
The reason a single speeding fine can end a P-plater's driving where it would barely dent an open licence is a simple mismatch between two numbers:
- How many points a 30km/h-over offence carries: 4 demerit points (Queensland's schedule assigns 4 points to speeding "more than 20km/h but not more than 30km/h" over the limit).
- How many points a P1 licence can hold before action: just 4 in a continuous 12-month window.
Four points earned, four points allowed. A P1 driver who was previously clean goes from a spotless record to at the suspension threshold in a single offence — no accumulation required. An open-licence holder in the exact same situation adds 4 of their allowed 12 points and keeps driving. Same speed, same fine, completely different outcome for the licence.
Jayden, 18, P1 licence, caught doing 90km/h in a signed 60km/h zone on Brisbane's northside. That's 30km/h over — right at the top of the "more than 20, not more than 30" band. He has a clean record. Here's the full calculation:
Step 1 — The fine. Speeding more than 20km/h but not more than 30km/h over the limit is a fixed on-the-spot penalty. As most recently published (2024–25) that band is $725; Queensland indexes its traffic fines every 1 July, and a 3.5% rise applied on 1 July 2025, so the 2025–26 amount sits at roughly $750. (Always confirm the live figure on the official page linked below — it changes each July.)
Step 2 — The points. 4 demerit points are added to Jayden's record.
Step 3 — The threshold check. A P1 licence triggers licence action at 4 or more demerit points in a 1-year period. Jayden had 0; now he has 4. 4 ≥ 4 → threshold reached.
Step 4 — The consequence. Transport and Main Roads sends Jayden an "Accumulation of demerit points – notice to choose." He must pick one of two paths (covered below) by a stated choice date, or a 3-month suspension applies automatically.
Bottom line for Jayden: about $750 out of pocket and a licence decision he can't avoid — from one offence, with a previously clean record.
The Queensland speeding scale: fines and points by band
These are the demerit points and the on-the-spot fines for exceeding the limit, drawn from the Queensland demerit points schedule and the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) speeding penalties. Points are fixed by regulation; dollar figures are the most recently published amounts (2024–25) and are indexed upward each 1 July (a 3.5% increase applied on 1 July 2025), so treat them as a close guide and confirm the current figure officially.
| Amount over the limit | Demerit points | Fine (indicative) | Extra for a P1 driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 11km/h | 1 | ~$322 | 1 point — still leaves margin |
| At least 11, not more than 20km/h | 3 | ~$483 | 3 points — one small slip from the limit |
| More than 20, not more than 30km/h | 4 | ~$725–$750 | Hits the 4-point threshold outright |
| More than 30, not more than 40km/h | 6 | ~$1,209 | Well over the threshold |
| More than 40km/h | 8 | ~$1,854 | Immediate 6-month suspension for everyone |
Sources: Demerit points schedule — qld.gov.au and Speeding fines and demerit points — TMR.
The P1 "no margin" reality — how a low threshold interacts with a 4-point ticket
People often describe the P1 rule as a "one-point rule," meaning P-platers feel like they can barely put a foot wrong before losing their licence. That instinct is correct, and here's the mechanism behind it:
- A P1 licence can hold a maximum of 4 demerit points in a continuous 1-year period. Reach 4 and licence action begins.
- The mid-range speeding offence (21–30km/h over) is worth exactly 4 points. So it doesn't build toward the threshold — it is the threshold, in a single hit.
- Even the band below it (11–20km/h over = 3 points) leaves a P1 driver with just 1 point of headroom. One more minor offence within the same 12 months tips them over.
In other words, a P1 licence gives you almost no room for error. For most speeding offences that carry 4 or more points, the "will I lose my licence?" question is really "which of the two options will I choose?" — because the suspension pathway has already been triggered.
Contrast — Priya, on an open licence, same 90-in-a-60. Priya cops the identical 4-point, ~$750 penalty. But an open licence allows 12 or more points before suspension. She goes from 0 to 4 points, keeps her licence, and simply carries those points (which expire from her record after 3 years). Identical offence, identical fine — the only difference is the licence type, and that difference is the whole story for a P-plater.
What happens above 40km/h over — the immediate suspension
There's a hard line in Queensland at more than 40km/h over the limit — sometimes called "high-speed" or excessive speeding. This one doesn't wait for a points tally or a notice to choose:
- The offence carries 8 demerit points, and
- Your licence is immediately suspended for 6 months — this applies to all drivers, open licence included, not just P-platers.
For a P1 driver, "more than 40km/h over" is unambiguously licence-ending for half a year, on top of a fine in the ~$1,850 range. There's no good-behaviour election that keeps you on the road for this one — the immediate suspension is separate from the accumulation-of-points system. Confirm the current details on the official Queensland speeding penalties page.
Your two options: suspension vs. good driving behaviour
Once a P1 driver reaches 4 points, TMR issues the "Accumulation of demerit points – notice to choose." You genuinely get to choose between two pathways — this is the "election to continue" that people ask about:
Option A — Take the 3-month suspension
You surrender your licence for 3 months. You can't drive during that period, but at the end of it you're back to a clean points slate and your provisional period continues. Simple, finite, and it clears the slate — but three months without a licence is a heavy hit for most P-platers who need to get to work, study, or sport.
Option B — Elect a 1-year good driving behaviour period
You keep driving, but you agree to a 1-year good driving behaviour period. The catch is a much tighter cap: if you accumulate 2 or more demerit points for offences committed during that year, your licence is suspended for 6 months — double the length of the suspension you avoided, and triggered by as little as a single minor offence.
Back to Jayden. He needs his licence for his apprenticeship, so he elects the good driving behaviour period rather than the 3-month suspension. Eight months later he's caught using his phone at the wheel — a 4-point offence, and well over the 2-point good-behaviour cap. Because it was committed during his good behaviour year, the consequence isn't a "notice to choose" this time: it's an automatic 6-month suspension. The good-behaviour path bought him driving time, but it also raised the stakes: one slip cost him twice the original suspension.
If you don't nominate an option by the choice date on the notice, TMR applies the default: your licence is automatically suspended for 3 months starting the day after the choice date. Doing nothing is the same as choosing suspension — so read the notice and respond before the date.
- 30km/h over on a P1 = 4 demerit points. A P1 licence allows a maximum of 4 points, so one such offence hits the threshold on its own.
- The fine is roughly $725–$750 for the 21–30km/h band (indexed each 1 July — confirm the current figure officially).
- You'll get a "notice to choose" — either a 3-month suspension or a 1-year good driving behaviour period. Ignoring it defaults to the 3-month suspension.
- Good behaviour is not a free pass: 2+ points during that year means a 6-month suspension.
- More than 40km/h over = immediate 6-month suspension for every driver, separate from the points system.
- An open licence would survive the same ticket (12-point cap). The licence type, not the speed, is what makes this so costly for P-platers.
Frequently asked questions
Will one speeding ticket really suspend my P1 licence in Queensland?
If the ticket is for 21km/h or more over the limit it's a 4-point (or higher) offence, and a P1 licence is actioned at 4 points — so yes, that single offence triggers a "notice to choose" between a 3-month suspension and a 1-year good driving behaviour period. Offences of 20km/h or less over (1–3 points) don't hit the threshold on their own, but they leave you very little margin.
How much is the fine for 30km/h over in Queensland right now?
The 21–30km/h band was $725 as most recently published (2024–25). Queensland indexes traffic fines every 1 July — a 3.5% rise applied on 1 July 2025 — so the 2025–26 figure is around $750. Always confirm the live amount on the official TMR speeding-penalties page, as it changes annually.
Can I choose to keep driving instead of being suspended?
Yes. When you reach the 4-point P1 threshold you can elect a 1-year good driving behaviour period instead of the 3-month suspension. But during that year, getting 2 or more demerit points for new offences means an automatic 6-month suspension — so it's a keep-driving option with a much tighter leash.
What if I was more than 40km/h over the limit?
That's high-speed (excessive) speeding: 8 demerit points and an immediate 6-month licence suspension that applies to all drivers, not just P-platers. It's handled separately from the demerit-accumulation system, so there's no good-behaviour election to keep you on the road for this one.
Do double demerit points apply?
Queensland applies double demerit points for certain repeat offences — including speeding of more than 20km/h over — committed within 1 year of a previous same-type offence. For a first offence the standard points apply, but a repeat 30km/h-over within 12 months can double to 8 points. Check the official schedule for the current double-demerit rules.
Does the fine and the suspension come together, or separately?
They're two separate consequences. The fine is the on-the-spot penalty for the speeding offence itself. The suspension (or good-behaviour election) flows from the demerit points hitting your P1 threshold, and arrives later as a "notice to choose" from Transport and Main Roads. You pay the fine and deal with the licence decision as distinct steps.
Don't get caught out by the fine print
Get our free one-page "P-plater survival" checklist — the point thresholds, the two options, and the exact deadlines that matter, for every state.
You're on the list — we'll be in touch.