Common driving mistake costs woman $410 fine: ‘Surely that’s not right?’
A woman has expressed her frustration after being fined hundreds of dollars for wearing her seatbelt below her chest.
NSW woman Alice Brennan said she was fined $410 after she was caught making a minor mistake while as a passenger in a car.
“I just got fined $410 for WEARING MY SEAT BELT TEMPORARILY. That’s not right, is it?’ Ms Brennan wrote on LinkedIn.
In one photo, Ms Brennan sat in the front seat with her seat belt diagonally across her stomach, rather than in the standard over-the-shoulder position.
Social media users sympathized with Ms Brennan and condemned the fine.
‘That’s completely ridiculous! Appeal if you can!’ another wrote.
Another response offered Ms. Brennan some helpful advice.
‘Go to court and say your breasts hurt. Frankly, unless the seat belt schedule is legislated, get out,” they wrote.
The passenger from NSW posted on social media how she was fined $410 for not wearing her seat belt correctly
‘This is either picked up (increasingly) by AI, or by a human who has no freedom of judgment (also increasingly often).’
One woman said that she finds it difficult to wear a seat belt in the standard way due to a medical problem.
“I have a port-a-cath for chemotherapy and the seat belt cuts right across it, which is painful at times,” she said.
Seat belt enforcement came into effect in NSW on July 1.
The Transport for NSW The website states that seat belt detection cameras work by “using existing cell phone detection cameras to capture clear images of passing vehicles in all traffic and weather conditions.”
“Artificial intelligence (AI) software automatically reviews images and detects possible violations,” it reads.
The website adds images “likely to show that a seat belt is not being worn or is being worn incorrectly are then verified by trained personnel.”
To address privacy concerns, the website states that images rejected by AI are “permanently and irreversibly deleted, typically within an hour of detection.”
Drivers who break the law face a $410 fine plus three demerit points.
The transport for NSW website warns of the dangers of not wearing the seat belt correctly.
“The Crash Lab of the Center for Road Safety has tested the impact of a collision at 60 km/h while the seat belt was worn incorrectly – under the arm,” it reads.
“The force of a sudden stop caused the mannequin to be thrown forward and his torso bent in half.”
‘In real life, such force can cause injury to the liver, spleen or abdomen, which can lead to death or serious injury.’