Woman fined $1007 over 'unfair' obscure road rule
Australians are being warned to read up on their road rules after a woman was slapped with a $1007 fine and had her licence suspended for an obscure offence.
The driver was caught breaching a law in South Australia she didn't even know existed, according to a Facebook post by Robert Barwick, Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia chief executive.
"This story will hopefully expand your knowledge of road rules while driving in different states around the country," he said.
Mr Barwick described a female driver who passed two police officers who had pulled over in their vehicle with its lights flashing.
“The member states that she was driving approximately 85km/h at the time (the speed limit was 110km/h). She continued driving and not long after she saw lights of a police car flashing behind her, requesting her to pull over — which she did," he wrote.
The driver claims the officers told her it was illegal to travel past an emergency vehicle flashing their lights at a speed greater than 25km/h in South Australia.
“She was not aware of this. She tried to explain her case, but to no avail she was issued with an infringement notice — $1007 fine and an immediate six-month driving disqualification," Mr Barwick wrote.
"As a single traveller with a 49 year unblemished driving record, she was dumbfounded and confused with what had just happened."
Mr Barwick urged drivers to tread with caution when driving interstate and to have a "thorough understanding of road rules".
The law came to fruition in 2014 and meant motorists had to slow down to 25km/h when passing any emergency vehicle with its lights on.
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Mr Barwick's post prompted a series of comments lambasting the rule, saying it was unreasonable and in fact came with a greater risk of an accident occurring.
"Different rules in different states. You would think that in this day and age we as a country could get it together. Pathetic," one Facebook user wrote.
"While I am all for safety of emergency crews, this rule puts me as a motorbike rider in a lot of danger," a motorcyclist commented.
"This is such a dangerous rule," another user proclaimed.
"Seems to me it’s 40km in most States so why 25km in SA? A bit unfair really, so perhaps the lady should have only had a fine. 6 months not driving doesn’t seem fair," one comment suggested.
Victoria and Western Australia have implemented similar rules however drivers in these states only need to drop their speed to 40km/h.
NSW look set to trial the law this year while police in Queensland have urged the government to do the same.
