Dad fined $1,200 for 'critical' seatbelt mistake
<p>At the start of last month, Queensland authorities increased driving fines to a record high, with the value of a penalty unit increasing by 4.2 per cent. </p>
<p>One Aussie dad found out the hard way this week after he copped a $1,209 fine when he was stopped by police during a traffic operation as part of the state's Road Safety Week and found that his two kids did not have their seatbelts fixed correctly. </p>
<p>They found the 5-year-old boy not properly secured in his booster seat, while a 6-year-old boy, who was seated in the right-side back seat, was found to have the middle seat belt wrapped around his neck.</p>
<p>The hefty fine also comes with 4 demerit points. </p>
<p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">Queensland Police</span><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;"> </span>have warned their motorists about increased police vigilance on their roads. </p>
<p>"Failure to wear a seatbelt is one of the leading causes of road crash deaths. Unrestrained drivers and passengers are eight times more likely to be killed in a road crash," Acting Inspector Kylie Doyle said. </p>
<p>"If this driver had been in a crash, it would have likely resulted in significant, possibly life-threatening injuries for these children."</p>
<p>Following the state's move to increase the value of a penalty unit, drivers caught using their phone or not wearing a seatbelt properly will now pay a fine of over $1,200. </p>
<p>Drivers caught speeding more than 30km/h over the speed limit are also forced to pay over $1,200. </p>
<p>Based off the average salary in the state, this means that drivers caught for such infringements would be paying around 65 per cent of their weekly salary on the fine. </p>
<p>Authorities across the country have been cracking down on driver misbehaviour in attempt to reduce the number of road fatalities. </p>
<p>"It is critical we all play our part to be safer on Queensland roads," Acting Inspector Kylie Doyle warned motorists on Tuesday.</p>
<p><em>Image: S</em><em>ongsook / Shutterstock.com</em></p>
