A woman claims she was fined $395 and lost three demerit points for giving a speed camera the middle finger – but social media users argued it was for another clearly visible infringement.
Victorian woman Abbey posted a photo taken in the south-east Melbourne suburb of Pakenham that captured her rude gesture and claimed she had been hit with the whopping fine over the act.
However, eagle-eyed viewers suggested the fine was for Abbey’s passenger wearing a seat belt incorrectly, with the image showing the top strap placed under the arm rather than over the shoulder.
The Victorian fine for wearing a seatbelt illegally is $395 and the loss of three demerit points.
‘Hope you gave the passenger the fine to pay,’ one person said in comments on the post.
Others expressed sympathy and admitted they also ‘flipped off’ speed cameras whenever they saw them.
Abbey remained convinced the fine was for the impolite gesture and dismissed the possibility she was fined over the seatbelt.
‘Definitely was targeted for putting the finger up,’ she told Yahoo News Australia.
A Victorian woman insists she copped a $395 fine for making a rude gesture at a speed camera
‘I think it’s ridiculous you lose three points for it plus $400.’
Despite her expressed outrage she wasn’t going to fight the fine and also would be asking her passenger to pay half.
A spokesperson for Victoria’s Department of Justice and Community Safety said detection cameras were not used to pick up rude gestures and motorists were not issued fines for such an act.
‘Failing to wear a seatbelt correctly is extremely dangerous and can significantly increase your risk of serious injury in the event of a crash,’ the spokesperson told Yahoo.
‘Every driver has an obligation to do the right thing on the roads and to not put themselves or others at risk.’
Last year Victoria installed hi-tech roadside detection cameras that use artificial intelligence and high-definition lenses to catch drivers illegally using mobile phones or failing to wear a seatbelt properly.
Other states have also installed such cameras.
New hi-tech detection camera use AI and high-definition lenses to catch drivers and passengers committing illegal acts in vehicles
In their first near year of operation Victorian cameras caught 52,000 drivers and passengers committing phone and seatbelt offences.
A spokesperson for police said the figure was ‘shocking’ as it amounted to 5,000 transgressions per month.