Melbourne driver claims she was targeted with $395 fine for making a rude gesture at a Pakenham traffic camera – but others point out another obvious reason
A woman claims she was fined $395 and stripped of three demerit points for flipping a speed camera the middle finger, but social media users claim it was for a different, clearly visible violation.
Abbey, a Victorian woman, posted a photo she took in Pakenham, a suburb in Melbourne’s south-east, showing her rude gesture, claiming she was given a hefty fine for it.
However, observant viewers thought the fine was given to Abbey’s passenger who was not wearing her seat belt properly. In the photo, the top strap is under the arm instead of over the shoulder.
The fine in Victoria for illegally wearing a seat belt is $395 and results in the loss of three demerit points.
“I hope you made the passenger pay the fine,” someone commented on the post.
Others expressed their sympathy and admitted that they also gave the middle finger to the speed cameras when they saw them.
Abbey remained convinced that the fine was a result of the rude gesture and dismissed the possibility that she had been fined for wearing a seat belt.
“Definitely been the target of the middle finger,” she said Yahoo News Australia.
A Victorian woman claims she was fined $395 for making a rude gesture at a speed camera
“I think it’s ridiculous that you lose three points plus $400 for it.”
Despite her outspoken outrage, she did not appeal the fine and said she would ask her passenger to pay half.
A spokesperson for the Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety said no detection cameras were used to capture rude gestures and motorists were not issued with fines for them.
“Not wearing a seat belt properly is extremely dangerous and can significantly increase the risk of serious injury in a crash,” the spokesperson told Yahoo.
‘Every driver has a duty to behave properly on the road and not endanger themselves or others.’
Last year, Victoria installed advanced roadside cameras that use artificial intelligence and high-definition lenses to catch drivers using mobile phones illegally or not wearing their seat belts properly.
Other states have also installed such cameras.
New high-tech detection camera uses AI and high-definition lenses to catch drivers and passengers doing illegal things in vehicles
In the first year of operation in Victoria, the cameras caught 52,000 drivers and passengers committing phone and seat belt violations.
A police spokesperson called the number “shocking,” as it amounts to 5,000 violations per month.