The woman is hit with a $270 fine for a simple driving mistake

An Australian woman has taken to social media to vent about a fine she received that she didn’t even know existed.

Alice Brennan posted her story on LinkedIn, hoping for support from followers, but instead was met with a rude awakening.

“Surely that’s not right?”

Alice posted a photo on LinkedIn this week, showing herself sitting in the passenger seat of a car with the seat belt diagonally across her stomach, instead of over her shoulder.

According to Alice, she had no idea that simple mistake could result in such a large fine.

“SAM FINED ME $270 FOR TEMPORARY SEAT BELT WEARING LIKE THIS,” the post read.

“Surely that’s not right?”

“Totally ridiculous!”

Commenters on the post quickly jumped to Alice’s defense, questioning the validity of the law.

“He can’t be right,” someone said.

“Wow! It feels so creepy to have that level of visibility in your vehicle,” added one.

“This is completely ridiculous! Appeal if you can!” another agreed.

Some shared their experiences with the rule, and others went so far as to suggest she take it to court.

“Take him to court and say his chest hurt,” said one commenter.

“Honestly, if the seat belt scheme is not legislated, you will go down. This is either taken by AI (increasingly) or by a human who has no discretion (also increasingly).

“I have a chemotherapy port-a-cath and the seat belt cuts through it, which is painful at times and impossible when it’s attached to a fusion. It’s only a matter of time before I get a fine for it the same thing and I have to go through the whole thing with the cops. Do you have a similarly good reason for not wearing your seat belt properly?” asked another.

“Side note: those seat belts are made for men’s bodies and have been shown to be harmful to women in some accidents. But don’t let that get in the way of increased revenue…”

“I was upset about it when my daughter temporarily did the same thing on our way to her soccer match in Brisbane. “I didn’t notice until I got the fine,” said a third.

However, a commenter on the post clarified that while it is disappointing, mobile phone detection cameras in NSW began to enforce seat belt laws on 1 July 2024.

This means that lately, fines are being issued every day for things like unattended babies, children sharing seats with adults and adults or not wearing seat belts or wearing them incorrectly, ranging from 254 dollars.

Wearing a seat belt correctly is defined as when the lap part of the seat belt sits along the hip bone and under the abdomen, and the belt runs from the thigh to the shoulder, without going up around the neck or over the upper arm. .