The NSW Government has introduced legislation creating new offences for dangerous driving and hit-and-run crashes that cause actual bodily harm.
The reforms also propose penalties for people who intentionally record and share images of seriously injured, dying or deceased road crash victims without a reasonable excuse.
New Dangerous Driving Offence
Under the proposed changes, dangerous driving causing actual bodily harm would carry a maximum penalty of three years in prison.
The maximum would increase to five years in aggravated circumstances, including where the driving involves unlawful street racing.
A separate offence of failing to stop and assist after a crash causing actual bodily harm would carry a maximum penalty of three years.
Penalties for Sharing Crash Victim Images
The legislation would also create an offence targeting people who intentionally record and distribute images of road crash victims where they know, or should reasonably know, that the person is seriously injured, dying or deceased.
The proposed maximum penalty is two years’ imprisonment.
Changes Follow Law Reform Review
The reforms respond to recommendations made by the NSW Law Reform Commission in its 2025 review of serious road crime.
The Commission recommended creating new offences covering dangerous driving and hit-and-run incidents causing actual bodily harm, adding unlawful street racing as an aggravating circumstance, and updating the older offence of “wanton or furious driving”.
That existing offence currently carries a maximum penalty of two years and uses language dating from an earlier era of road law.
The proposed amendments will now need to pass NSW Parliament before the new offences take effect.
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