A grandmother has cut back on her Christmas spending after having to use more than a fortnight of her pension to pay a fine for breaking a single driving rule.
Maree Bauer, 70, was caught “using her phone while driving” on the Capricorn Highway at Emerald, west of Rockhampton in Queensland, and was fined $1,209 in November.
In addition to the huge fine, which exceeds her pension of approximately $557 a week, Ms Bauer also received four demerit points.
Queensland has one of the highest fines in the country and is more than double the $410 drivers are required to pay in New South Wales.
An image taken by a mobile phone and seat belt detection camera showed Ms Bauer’s thumb resting on the bottom of her phone while it was on top of her bag.
But Bauer said he only touched the phone to make sure it didn’t move while listening to Google Maps directions.
‘I don’t consider that to be in my body. “It’s just ridiculous,” Ms. Bauer said. yahoo.
He added that another photo attached to the ticket showed his eyes were on the road and paying minimal attention to his phone.
A Queensland grandmother had her Christmas budget slashed after she was caught with her thumb resting on the bottom of her phone and fined $1,209 (pictured).
Although she admitted that she is “not innocent,” Ms. Bauer added that she only uses her phone through her car’s Bluetooth and thought “this is a joke.”
With Christmas just a few weeks away, Grandma is forced to reduce her vacation expenses in order to cover the costs of the fine.
Ms Bauer said she had now started to “count the change” she adds throughout the year to see if she could make it through the festive period.
‘I just have to face it. I don’t have the money to fight it… and besides, you can’t beat it, you can’t win,’ he said.
The fine for being caught using your phone while driving in Queensland is substantially higher than in any state in Australia, with the closest being $1,000 in Western Australia.
The same charge costs drivers in New South Wales $410, while those in Victoria are fined $593 and those in South Australia $540.
Queensland law makes it illegal to have a phone resting on any part of a driver’s body, including on their lap or simply touching their thumb.
A Queensland Revenue Office (QRO) spokesperson said all offenses caught on surveillance cameras are reviewed by officers before a fine is imposed.
“The camera images are initially filtered by Artificial Intelligence software that detects whether there is possible illegal use of the mobile phone by the driver,” he stated.
“If a potential violation is detected, the footage is reviewed by two authorized officials within QRO to determine if a violation should be issued.”